With many Indonesian maids looking for higher-paying jobs elsewhere, Malaysia will invite domestic aides from Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, a minister said in remarks published today.

"Indonesian maids now prefer to work in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, which offer them better wages," Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

He was commenting on reports that Indonesian maids were now offered between RM800 and RM1,000 a month in other countries compared to just RM450 in Malaysia.

Malaysia usually takes in nearly 60,000 Indonesian maids per year, but just 12,000 have been recruited in the past six months, while thousands of Malaysian households have been waiting in vain to fill positions.

Fong said he hoped Malaysians would not prevent their Indonesian maids from leaving for other countries.