The Jakarta Post - Nov 05 1:06 PM - Malaysia, which had long been a landof hope and promise for Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) seeking betterlives, has now closed its doors.

Ants are drawn to sugar, and Malaysia was sugar for Indonesians laboringto make a living and improve their families' welfare, even if it meantgoing abroad.

Malaysia was a country that promised an adequate income to unskilledlaborers, and each time a migrant worker returned home, they would taketheir relatives or friends back to Malaysia with them.

The number of TKI in the neighboring country thus continued to increase,and in many cases, Indonesian workers entered Malaysia without properimmigration documents -- in other cases, their recruitment agenciesneglected to provide them with identification and immigration papers.

Many illegal migrant workers were able to live and work in Malaysia inrelative peace because local authorities had rarely questioned theirpresence, and because many employers preferred to hire TKI for their lowerwages and the advantage of not having to pay related labor taxes.

However, this is no longer the case, and some TKI have been forced to movefrom place to place or job to job as Malaysian authorities launchednationwide raids to net illegal workers, following the 2002 enforcement oftough immigration laws.

Murah, 44, and Tima, 42, a couple from Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, wereamong the thousands of migrant workers who repatriated under the amnestyscheme provided by the Malaysian government, which will end on Nov. 14.

Murah and Tima had left their hometown for Malaysia hoping for decentlife, and worked there for two years. Murah worked as a gardener and hiswife worked as a domestic help in Keke, Sabah, East Malaysia. The couplesaid their wages were higher than they expected: Murah made RM 15 a day(US$4).

Murah saved his wages and sent money back home to his children once amonth.

"I sent about Rp 1 million every month," said Murah, who arrived recentlyin Parepare seaport, South Sulawesi, along with hundreds of other TKI fromthe same province.

Their early days in Malaysia were pleasant, they said, but after theirpassports expired about five months ago, everything changed. Life inMalaysia became frightening, as Murah was often pursued by the police andhad to hide.

"We were afraid because if we were caught, we could be imprisoned or evencaned," he said.

Another migrant worker also from Buton Island, Andi, 29, had a similarexperience. Before he migrated to Malaysia, he worked as a gardener inButon, but his pay was extremely low. He traveled to the neighboringcountry seeking better pay and found work at an oil palm plantation andsometimes worked as a construction worker, making anywhere from Rp 2million to Rp 3 million a month.

Andi also repatriated under the amnesty program to escape harshpunishment. He wants to return to Malaysia, but realizes he would needproper documents this time.

The government offers services to process appropriate documents foraspiring migrant workers, but the majority of them do not understand theprocedures involved, nor the legal basis for documentation. Theregistration posts set up by the manpower ministry and social welfareministry have thus been unable to reach out to migrant workers.

On the other hand, many workers are unwilling to resort to thedocumentation services offered by the government, because they assumedthey would have to pay for the facility. Some even think that if theyregistered at the posts, they would not be allowed to return to Malaysia.

As of now, only three hundred people have registered at thegovernment-sponsored TKI documentation posts.