06/23/07
E Java (ANTARA News) - Malaysia since early this year has deported 112 illegal Indonesian migrant workers from Sampang district, East Java, Teguh Waluyo of the Manpower office here said on Saturday.
He said that most of the deported Indonesian workers came from the northern part of Sampang district and had low education. "They left for Malaysia to work illegally under the assistance of middlemen," he said.
Though the manpower office had provided guidance for would-be migrant workers so that they would work with official documents, many locals from Sampang forced themselves to leave for Malaysia illegally with the assistance of `tekong` (middlemen), he said.
Waluyo said that the number of unmployed people in Sampang reached 20,165.
"We acknowledge that the unmployment rate in Sampang is high but we hope that they would not risk themselves by becoming illegal migrant workers overseas," he added.
The manpower official said that people should learn a lesson from the fate of those deported from Malaysia where they had to receive punishment before they were returned home carrying no fortunes with them.
"Please find jobs overseas but through the official channels so that fate and security would be guaranteed," he added.(*)
