A delegation of Indonesian parliamentarians is currently on a visit to Malaysia in the midst of increasing tension between the two countries.

The 9-member delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday and immediately declared their aims to convey the feelings of the Indonesians on two thorny issues- the crackdown against illegal migrant workers and the military escalation in the Sulawesi Sea.

The group held a separate close-door meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and three Malaysian parliamentarians in Parliament house yesterday morning. They later visited the Semenyih detention camp.

In a joint statement made available to malaysiakini, the Indonesian MPs expressed concern over the treatment of Indonesian illegal workers here.

"We are aware that the migrant worker issue has triggered bilateral problems between Malaysia and Indonesia," group leader Dr H Abdul Gafur said.

He claimed there were incidents of discrimination against Indonesian workers during the crackdown.

"The effort of the workers and their services were not recognised by some employers in Malaysia. We are deeply concerned with this," he said.

The Indonesian legislators also urged the Malaysian government to take action against the unscrupulous employers who have shortchanged the workers by not paying them wages.

On the tension in the Sulawesi sea, the MPs said they wanted the matter to be resolved peacefully through negotiations and not brought before the international court.

Successful visit

A delegation member, Yorrys T H Raweyai, described the visit as "successful".

"We expressed our feelings on the issues and it was received positively by the prime minister and the Malaysian parliamentarians," he said when contacted.

Woman MP Marissa Haque said the visit is "to enable Malaysians to understand the anger of Indonesians" on the oil field dispute.

"I am satisfied with the visit. This is the first delegation from the Indonesian Parliament to visit Malaysia over the current dispute and tension," she added.

There were massive demonstrations in Indonesia against Malaysia over the past few days. Several Malaysian government websites, were also allegedly hacked by Indonesians who slotted in defiant slogans and Indonesian flags.