The Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed on the need to cooperate more closely with Manila for a more 'calibrated' and 'rational' approach in the arrest, detention and deportation of undocumented Filipino migrants.

This is needed in order to mitigate the continuing incidences of 'casualties' during the course of the Malaysian authorities' enforcement and implementation of laws and regulations on Filipinos without valid travel documents, said a Philippine congressman.

Nur Gaspar Jafaar, a House of Representative member from the southern Philippine district of Tawi-Tawi, told malaysiakini today that Home Minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmad had responded positively in a meeting this morning to his requests along these lines.

Of particular concern, said Jaafar, was the need to ensure the protection and welfare of the deported children, women and the elderly.

Jafaar headed a four-member goodwill delegation of Muslim Filipino congressmen currently on a visit to Malaysia as part of efforts to ease the hardship suffered by Filipino nationals subjected to detention and deportation by the immigration authorities.

Jaafar also described the delegation as a follow-up to the Philippine-Malaysia technical working group meeting (WGM) established several years ago to alleviate problems following Malaysia's tightening of immigration regulations.

Not 'blaming' each other

The delegation, which arrived Tuesday and met with Radzi this morning, will depart for Sabah tomorrow to inspect the conditions of detainees awaiting deportation at the state's three detention centres.

The visit comes on the heels of reports that two Filipino child deportees died soon after being deported on Sept 29 from Sandakan, Sabah, to Zamboanga City along with their parents and 525 other undocumented Filipino migrants.

Timah Basir, 13, and Nurhani, 3,who hailed from Sumisip, Basilan, in south Philippines, had been detained at the Menggatal Immigration Detention Center.

Timah succumbed on Sept 29 while on the ferry MV Danica Joy following a bout of severe malnutrition and hypoglycaemia, while Nurhani died at the Zamboanga City Medical Center on the evening of their arrival on Sept 30.

She had suffered from chronic gastroenteritis, severe malnutrition and severe pneumonia.

Radzi knew of the children's death , said Jaafar, but neither government is "blaming" the other for the incident as the incident falls under the category of problems of policy implementation and coordination.

Both parties understand that each have laws to be upheld, said Jaafar.

However, they also understand that balance needs to be struck between implementing and enforcing a country's laws against illegal entry and residence and the need to treat the nationals of any country humanely and with dignity, he added.

Re-activating centres

"Radzi responded to our requests very positively. It is unfortunate that deportees should suffer. However, it should not stop us from looking for a possible scheme of deportation to ease the hardship of the people affected," said Jaafar when met at a Kuala Lumpur hotel this afternoon.

"He was very much receptive to our suggestion that, in the spirit of goodwill and neighborliness, both parties have to work together to lessen the problems (arising from migration of undocumented Filipinos)," Jaafar said further.

"Problems have lessened considerably. Nobody can come up with instant solutions," he added.

Kuala Lumpur also agreed to re-activate the 'one-stop processing centres' for the legalisation of Filipino migrants and deportees seeking to return to Malaysia, including 'stateless' children facing trouble being accepted by either country as its nationals, said Jaafar.

Operations at the centres, jointly-established by Philippines and Malaysia four years ago, were stopped after problems in operations and administration, said Jaafar.

The delegation had also requested Malaysia to look into the need for providing education to children of Filipino migrants, especially those born to refugees from the conflict in Mindanao and documented workers, he said.

Towards this end, said Jaafar, the relevant authorities in Philippines will study the details of the possibility for such a programme, including the appropriate educational modules and the bringing in of teachers from the Philippines.