Lawmakers from Asean have urged Malaysia to prioritise human rights in its ongoing crackdown on undocumented migrant workers in the country. 

It said the workers, who are often victims of recruitment agents and errant employers, are usually not at fault for their status and should be treated fairly.

“A desire to decrease the number of undocumented workers in the country can never be an excuse to further victimise the vulnerable. 

"While Malaysia has a legitimate need to address the fact that so many migrants find themselves without proper paperwork, it must ensure that basic human rights are respected for all people at all times,” said Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights board member Mu Sochua, a member of the Cambodian National Assembly.

She also urged embassies to ensure they have access to their citizens detained in these raids and to ensure their citizens' well-being. 

The Immigration Department said only about 161,000 of foreign workers registered for E-cards at the close of registration on June 30. This is a fraction of at least two million estimated undocumented foreign workers in Malaysia. 

The daily raids have resulted in at least 3,000 arrests and detentions, but many are still at large. 

Malaysiakini earlier reported that foreign workers have fled to hide out in the forest in fear of raids, including those with E-cards and work permits who are forced to do so because their dependents are undocumented. 

It was also reported that while the E-card is free, the process is either cumbersome or intransparent that employers are forced to pay thousands of ringgit to agents for registration. Many have decided not to register their workers because of the high cost. 

Sochua said the mass arrests are doubly concerning due to poor conditions of detention centres. 

“Even before this crackdown, Malaysia’s immigration detention centres were severely overcrowded and lacking in even the most basic of services. 

"The Malaysian government must provide answers as to how they are addressing this sudden influx of thousands of detainees and how they will ensure that conditions do not deteriorate further,” Mu Sochua said.

Human Rights Commission (Suhakam)'s records showed more than 118 people have died in Malaysian immigration detention centres in 2015 and 2016.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed acknowledged overcrowding in these centres and cited limited budget constraints to improve conditions. 

Indonesian lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari said the raids further victimise vulnerable workers who had already been exploited by employers and agents to the extent of being undocumented. 

She added poor coordination among Asean government to stem such abuses involving migration is also a factor for the poor conditions of migrant workers in the region. 

“Asean governments must remember that migrant workers, whether documented or undocumented, are not commodities, but people who have made enormous contributions to the region’s progress. 

"If Asean is to truly embrace its ‘people-centered’ claim, it cannot continue to put business interests ahead of those of its own citizens. If regional governments can come to an agreement on regulations governing trade, surely they can do the same for migrants,” she concluded.