The group of 90 Indonesian illegal immigrants, who claim to have been shortchanged of their wages, filed a police report against Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn today.

In their report lodged with the Sungai Buloh police station, the workers asked the police to also investigate the main contractor Plato Construction and sub-contractor Mega Jaya Sdn Bhd for breaching the Immigration Act by hiring illegal immigrants.

The workers, who are blaming the sub-contractor of not paying them their salaries worth RM150,000, were working at a construction site in Damansara Damai, Selangor.

The report against Fong was based on his statement reported yesterday that Sri Mega Jaya had paid the wages, which according to him amounted to RM500,000, to another sub-contractor who has since absconded.

"Fong said there was a sub-contractor or intermediary who had received the wages. We are not aware of this at all," said the workers in the report.

The minister had made the statement based on an investigation conducted by the labour department, which also discovered that the intermediary was an illegal immigrant as well.

"He has since run off with the money after failing to pay the 90 Indonesian workers about RM500,000 in wages," he was quoted as saying by the media.

Aware of illegal status

After lodging the report, the group's leader Lukman told reporters, including Indonesian television stations, that the minister's statement would encourage their employer not to settle their wages.

"We never reported our case to the Malaysian labour department office. We believe that Fong had issued the statement without facts," he said..

"We felt insulted (by the statement) as we never got any money from Sri Mega Jaya. Who was the money given to?" he asked.

Lukman also said that the management of Plato Construction was aware of their illegal status.

"The site manager Jasvinder Singh allowed us to work and stay at the site," he added.

Plato Construction is owned by MK Land Holdings Bhd. The workers have also sent a letter to MK Land, urging its executive chairperson Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar to look into the matter.