Name: Millions of Indonesian migrant workers face hardship in Malaysia amid coronavirus fallout - ABC News
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Millions of Indonesian migrant workers face hardship in Malaysia amid coronavirus fallout - ABC News

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ShareWhile Malaysia managed to flatten its COVID-19 curve with a strict stay-at-home order, a slowed economy has seen many migrant workers from neighbouring Indonesia struggle to feed themselves., the country had the largest caseload in South-East Asia. But it brought strict , which has seen cases limited to 8,861 — about one third less than Australia's — with just 123 deaths.Claims that foreigners were not observing social distancing, however, saw&nbsp; in raids widely condemned by rights groups.Malaysia's Human Rights Commission last month warned of the "proliferation of hate speech and racial stereotyping …&nbsp;as well as targeting refugees and migrant workers in social media attacks and petitions calling for their repatriation."For many of Malaysia's undocumented migrants, life was hard even before the pandemic hit. As Indonesians — particularly women — face an increasingly desperate situation, there are growing calls for Jakarta to do more to help people unable to return home and facing discrimination.While Indonesians officially number around 1 million in Malaysia, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the NGO Migrant Care both estimate there are more like 2.5 to 3 million people living there.Undocumented women are — while many men work in construction.Alex Ong, a spokesperson for Migrant Care, told the ABC that even though strict lockdown measures had been eased, "many migrant workers still cannot work"."Children, those who are sick and the elderly are the most vulnerable."Suswati suffers from leukemia. She had been working for a door-to-door cleaning service but is now unable to work and is stuck at home, financially supported by her husband, who is undocumented.Karmadi, another migrant worker who is assisting Suswati, told the ABC she is reluctant to seek treatment due to the high fees charged by the hospital. For treatment, she would be charged 12,000 Malaysian ringgit ($3,950), Karmadi said. The minimum wage in Kuala Lumpur is 1,200 ringgit per month, and migrant workers are often underpaid, especially if they are undocumented.But Karmadi said Suswati is too weak to travel, having lost 30 kilograms since becoming ill. "At the moment, if she were to return, she would not be able to stand the pain on the plane because her body is weak," he said."We hope there are people who can help with treatment at the hospital."As unemployment has increased due to lockdown and a decline in economic activity, Malaysia's legions of migrant workers have been hit hardest. Unable to access government assistance, many have turned to the charity of organisations such as Migrant Care for essentials like food and medicine.When the movement control order was implemented in March, Indonesian MP Christina Aryani called for immediate food aid to be provided by Indonesia."Many of our migrant workers in Malaysia are construction workers, factory workers, waitresses or janitors. They are paid daily or weekly," she said, as quoted by the Jakarta Post. "We have urged the Government to send them staple food via the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur."According to Mr Ong, however: "The Indonesian Embassy is not so&nbsp;responsive&nbsp;to the hardships of Indonesian citizens who are facing a crisis"."Many have lost their jobs. Food aid has been stopped. Many companies have closed down and have not fulfilled their previous salary obligations," he said.Lyn Dani, an Indonesian national who teaches the children of migrant workers in Malaysia, told the ABC that a number of her students' parents who were undocumented had not been paid since the movement control order came into place."For workers who are Malaysian citizens, there is a certain amount of ration assistance in the form of rice, flour, sugar and cooking oil. This assistance does not apply to migrant workers," she said.Agung Cahaya Sumirat, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur's counsellor for social and cultural affairs, told the ABC that they had assisted Indonesian migrants — both documented and undocumented.The consulate had covered hospital costs for those who were sick and accommodated women in need of protection in shelters, he said, as well as assisting in mediation with agents and employers.It had also distributed some 140,000 meal packs for families on several occasions during the movement control order.But Karmadi said that when he had reached out to the Indonesian Embassy for assistance, they had simply "asked a lot of questions" but did not have the budget to assist citizens in need."It's easier to deal with NGOs like Migrant Care than the Indonesian Embassy. Without [Migrant Care], things would be very hard." Karmadi said for the duration of the two-month lockdown, he had not been able to work and was forced to skip meals."I just stayed hungry, so I'd have enough for rent at my boarding house," he said.Dozens of Indonesians die in Malaysia each year. According to Migrant Care, 62 people from Indonesia's .Labour rights abuses against migrant workers in Malaysia are widely documented. were potentially linked to modern slavery.The COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, has seen rights groups and the UN express concern over growing xenophobia against migrants and refugees in Malaysia.Public frustration has particularly been directed at the , many of whom have lived in Malaysia for generations without the right to work legally."Using a pandemic to persecute vulnerable communities is a violation of their right to liberty. We strongly urge the authorities to release those detained immediately," said the head of Amnesty International Malaysia, Preethi Bhardwaj, in late May."Anyone who may test positive for COVID-19 should have access — free from discrimination — to essential health services, care and safety."At least three Malaysian immigration detention centres subsequently became the sites of coronavirus clusters.The Malaysian Director-General of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, earlier this month said: "Can you imagine the outbreak, 277 [cases], in the community, rather than in a detention centre?""Today in the detention centre we already managed to control the spread," he said, denying that there was discrimination against foreigners.The Malaysian Ministry of Health did not respond to the ABC's inquiries about the proportion of COVID-19 cases that are foreigners by deadline.The treatment of migrant workers in Malaysia , which provoked an angry response from the Malaysian Government and&nbsp;A 25-year-old Bangladeshi worker interviewed by Al Jazeera subsequently had his work permit revoked by Malaysian Immigration, in what Human Rights Watch called "a clear act of retaliation", and was this week arrested."The Government's action sends a chilling message to the country's many migrant workers: If you want to stay in Malaysia, don't speak up no matter how badly you have been treated," the watchdog said."I did not commit any crime. I did not lie," Mohammad Rayhan Kabir, the man arrested by Malaysian police, told Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star."I have only talked about discrimination against the migrants."Indonesians were among those arrested and put into crowded detention centres, putting them at risk of COVID-19 infection.Nevertheless, Indonesia has shown reluctance to criticise Malaysia over the treatment of its citizens.Remittances from Indonesian workers abroad are an important economic boon, accounting for around 1 per cent of GDP, according to the World Bank."I&nbsp;try to understand that whatever the Malaysian Government&nbsp;has done is within the&nbsp;parameters to safeguard the wellbeing&nbsp;of the people, including the migrants, as they are also in Malaysia," embassy representative Mr Sumirat said earlier this month when asked about Al Jazeera's documentary and the treatment of Indonesian migrant workers."We at the Indonesian embassy know that the Government of Malaysia has been working really hard to cope with the situation," he was quoted as saying by Malaysian state news agency Bernama."I'm sure that gradually&nbsp;this will also benefit the migrant workers when the economy is able to open up faster and they can get back to work."The Indonesian Government has facilitated the return of thousands of its citizens from around the world since the pandemic began, including from Malaysia.But Mr Sumirat told the ABC that those heading home may find it difficult to work in Malaysia again for some time.Moreover, returning to Indonesia, and , is not an appealing option for many."For those who return, the Indonesian Embassy warns that when they return to Indonesia, it will be difficult for them to return to work in Malaysia, given the current tightening of the Malaysian Government's border policy," he said.25 Jul 202025 Jul 2020Sat 25 Jul 2020 at 7:18pmMore on:

ShareWhile Malaysia managed to flatten its COVID-19 curve with a strict stay-at-home order, a slowed economy has seen many migrant workers from neighbouring Indonesia struggle to feed themselves., the country had the largest caseload in South-East Asia. But it brought strict , which has seen cases limited to 8,861 — about one third less than Australia's — with just 123 deaths.Claims that foreigners were not observing social distancing, however, saw&nbsp; in raids widely condemned by rights groups.Malaysia's Human Rights Commission last month warned of the "proliferation of hate speech and...

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