A group of Indonesian labour activists staged a demonstration outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta yesterday during Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's one-day visit to highlight their concerns over the treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

The Consortium for Indonesian Migrant Workers' Defence (Kopbumi) said about 20 of its activists gathered outside the mission, carrying placards which criticised Malaysia's policy on migrant workers.

"We carried posters which called for the Malaysian government to resolve the issue of undocumented workers and stop deporting Indonesian workers.

"Prime Minister Abdullah saw us demonstrating when he arrived for a visit at the Malaysian embassy," said Kopbumi executive secretary Wahyu Susilo when contacted today.

The demonstrators, including those who had worked here previously, also criticised Malaysia's immigration law which had seen thousands of undocumented Indonesian workers jailed and caned.

According to Wahyu ( photo ), Indonesian police had held him briefly for 'disturbing a guest of the nation' but no further action was taken.

Abdullah had made the visit to Jakarta as part of his tour of Asean capitals. Following a meeting with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, he announced that both countries will put renewed effort in working out a long overdue memorandum of understanding on labour issues.

Paid demonstrators

When contacted, an official at the Foreign Ministry's Indonesia desk said the demonstration was carried out by "a small group of people" and it did not create any problems for the premier.

"Some people were standing outside the embassy carrying papers. It is an ordinary practice in Indonesia that when any heads of state or government pays a visit to Jakarta, people would gather at the embassies. It is not a big deal in Indonesia," she added.

The official also alleged that some of the individuals may also have been 'paid' to demonstrate.

"Often, people are paid to demonstrate for others. They may be given a placard but they may not know what they are (demonstrating for)," added the official, who declined to be named.

Meanwhile, Wahyu said he submitted an open letter to Abdullah yesterday via the embassy to protest the continued reluctance of both governments to deal directly with the problems faced by migrant workers in Malaysia.

According to the letter, a copy of which was made available to malaysiakini , Indonesian workers here face a myriad of problems including their lack of documentation, abuse, rape, unpaid salaries as well as trafficking.

"Malaysia is a key end destination of trafficked women and children. Tens of thousands of women and children are traded for sexual exploitation. They are held in Tawau, Kuching and other parts of the peninsular," claimed Wahyu.

The labour activist said a number of women workers have also been victims of sexual crimes, including one woman who is said to have been raped repeatedly by a 'Tan Sri' in Johor.

"Although this has been reported to the police, nothing has been done so far. Instead, the worker was sent back to Indonesia in an effort to stop the matter from being pursued," he claimed.

'Free Irene Fernandez'

Furthermore, Wahyu said many returning workers from Malaysia have alleged that they were frequently extorted by police officers.

"They are frequently victimised because they have no documents. The majority of them also work in plantations where they are exploited through payment of low wages and shortage of facilities," he said, adding that Malaysia should be more appreciative of the contribution of Indonesian workers in bringing economic success to the country.

In concluding his letter, Wahyu also urged Abdullah to end the "political darkness" in Malaysia by undertaking meaningful political reforms.

"We feel that the one-year jail term received by (Malaysian labour rights activist) Irene Fernandez was unfair. What Irene published on the sufferings of migrant workers in prisons are truths which cannot be denied. Many Indonesian workers have experienced it. Therefore, we urge the prime minister to free her from punishment," he said.

Last October, Fernandez was found guilty of maliciously publishing false news by the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court after a historical seven-year court battle.

She was prosecuted for releasing a memorandum at a press conference in August 1995 detailing the alleged torture and death of migrant workers in immigration detention camps.