Malaysia is probably one of the worst places for migrants.

This is one of the conclusions drawn by an eleven-people team that went for a fact finding mission to Sabah, Malaysia last June 11-16, 2009.

Organized by the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) together with Tenaganita of Malaysia and Migrante International of the Philippines, the fact finding mission aimed to know the real situation of undocumented migrants living and working in the Sabah state, check on the developments with regard to the joint initiatives of the Malaysian government with Indonesian and Philippine governments in addressing this issue, and look into the situation of undocumented Indonesians and their need for education.

“On top of the fact that it has not ratified the International Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Their Families, the Malaysian government has not only cracked down on migrants but have virtually permitted several questionable practices: physical abuse by government authorities, corruption and bribery, human trafficking, child labor, and bonded or slave labor,” stated Aurelio Estrada, APMM desk coordinator for undocumented migrants and one of the mission’s participants.

This conclusion, said Estrada, came from the interviews they have made with more than 100 migrant workers and their families in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. Sabah is noted to have the biggest population of both Indonesian and Filipino migrants.

The mission criticized both the Indonesian and Philippine governments for doing little in addressing this concern. While the Indonesian consulate has remained inconsistent in solving the migrants’ complaints, the Philippine government contests the political claim to Sabah as a reason not to establish a permanent office there to assist migrants.

Both these governments, added Estrada, have aggressively implemented the labor export program with Malaysia being one of their top country destinations.

The mission also pointed out the case of migrant workers who were unpaid and made to bonded labor in See Hoy Chan Plantation in Lahad Datu. By pursuing the case and exposing the migrants’ situation to the media, it has forced the Philippine government to provide support to the Filipino migrants.

Aside from APMM, Tenaganita and Migrante, the other participants of the mission came from a wide variety of backgrounds: Cong. Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party in the Philippines, Rey Asis of the Asia Pacific Students and Youth Association (ASA), Baseer Naweed of the Asian Human Right s Commission, Tony Salcedo of Osan Migrants Center in South Korea, Amy Sim from Hong Kong University and Fajar Kurniawan from Lumbaga Banduan Hukum, a lawyer’s group in Indonesian.

The mission’s report revealed plans to engage with The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to immediately and concretely address the situation of undocumented migrants, particularly in Malaysia. The report (attached to this press release) will be submitted to them in the upcoming meetings of the ASEAN.

“Migrant workers in Malaysia virtually become slaves and criminals – a situation that has got to change by the governments who should be primarily responsible for them,” concluded Estrada. #

(Note: Attached in the email is the complete report of the FFM for your reference)