(AFP) Three Indonesian ministers will visit Kuala Lumpur this month to address the clampdown on Indonesian migrant labour sparked by workers rioting.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri ordered the trip after receiving a report on the labour issue from Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who recently visited Malaysia.

"Mrs Mega suggested that on Feb 18 the foreign minister, the manpower minister and I conduct a bilateral visit to Malaysia to discuss migrant repatriation and see whether there are more effective and easy ways to resolve the issue," Mahendra said.

Mahendra said he had received assurances from Malaysian officials, including Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, that only illegal Indonesian workers would be repatriated and legal workers could stay.

Angered by riots

Malaysia was angered by a riot by 400 Indonesian textile workers at their factory over police drug tests on co-workers on Jan 17.

Three days later more than 70 Indonesian construction workers armed with machetes went on a rampage at Cyberjaya, a hi-tech suburb south of Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Tuesday the government would only hire Indonesians as maids and plantation workers and would take workers from Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and India to fill positions in other sectors.

Indonesians were previously employed in almost all sectors.

Home ministry secretary-general Aseh Che Mat said last month that Indonesians made up 566,983 out of a total of 769,566 legal foreign workers in the country.