Fewer illegal migrants packed off last year
The number of people repatriated has shown a drop over the last three years numbering some 160,000 from 74 countries, according to the Immigration Department.
The number of people repatriated has shown a drop over the last three years numbering about 160,000 from 74 countries, according to the Immigration Department.
Its Deportation and Depot Management unit put the total of people sent home last year at 46,641 with 57,490 in 2007 and 60,800 in 2008 from 13 detention camps nationwide. 
Indonesia topped the list, with 53.7 percent of the total deportees, followed by Bangladesh, Burma, India and Thailand.
Other neighbouring countries like Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Cambodia and Pakistan made up the rest of the top 10 countries.
About 422 Sri Lankans were also sent back to their war-torn homeland last year.
At 33,777 the number of males deported was almost three times that of females which stood at 12,011.
The statistics show that most of these males were from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Burma, India and Vietnam, similar to the top five countries with the highest number of deportations last year.
Where females are concerned the top countries are Indonesia, China, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In fact, these countries make up 92.44 percent of all females deported in 2009.
In addition, 850 children were also returned to their homeland by the immigration authorities.
The rest of the 518 from the overall total were mainly from the African and Middle Eastern region.
An immigration official explained that the deportees were either people who overstayed or those who entered the country without valid documentation.
Stop being in denial
However, Tenaganita director Florida Sandasamy said the government should stop being in denial about migrants' issues as the number of deportees is quite significant.
She said that due to their huge number in Malaysia, the government should re-look its policies, especially the Human Resources Ministry.
"Foreign workers in Malaysia are not given protection and even if they were initially legitimate, it is very easy for them to become undocumented," she said that this is due to the lack of government monitoring.
She cites corruption as a major hindrance in ensuring the welfare of foreign workers, leading to the creation of the large number of illegal.
"It is clear that foreign labour is needed to boost our economy, so why don't we find a solution to keep these people in the country legally?" she asked.
