Indonesia today urged Kuala Lumpur to take action against Malaysians who recruited illegal Indonesian migrant workers, in the latest development in a simmering labour row between the two countries.

Indonesian Manpower Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea said unless Kuala Lumpur was willing to take steps the flow of migrants would continue unabated, the state Antara news agency reported.

Malaysia has estimated that 700,000 illegal Indonesian workers are employed within its borders and has threatened to stage mass repatriations. Jakarta has said it would not be able to cope with such a move until after the September polls.

Wea said that the despite a law in Malaysia that provides for fines and lashes for employers recruiting illegal migrant workers, the punishment was seldom carried out, although migrants themselves were frequently targeted.