Overcrowding and poor sanitation at an Indonesian border town are claiming more lives of migrant workers living in spartan conditions while waiting for permits to return to Malaysia.

The Jakarta Post reported today that 66 people had died due to lack of food, clean water and proper sanitation in Nunukan, an island across the border from Sandakan, Sabah, while they waited for permission to return to their jobs and families across the border.

Since late July, Indonesian social workers have estimated that at least 100,000 migrant workers have arrived at the border town after the Malaysian government threatened to jail and cane illegal workers convicted of an offence under new immigration laws.

According to the Jakarta Post, over 17,000 of these workers were sent back to Malaysia with whatever documents they have.

The newspaper said that while some returned to their hometowns, at least another 20,000 had decided to stay in makeshift shelters, and camp out on sidewalks, or at vacant plots of land in the island, while they await similar opportunity.

One-month tourist visa

The report added that shelter facilities prepared by the Indonesian government for the returning migrant workers are also insufficient to cater to the large number.

Only in several camps set up by worker exporting companies are the migrant workers provided with food. In order to use other facilities such as shower and wash areas, the workers are required to pay fees of between Rp1,000 and Rp2,000 (40 to 80 sen).

According to a migrant worker interviewed by the paper, those wishing to obtain documents to return to Malaysia are charged RM600 by employment agents while another RM300 is to be deducted from their salaries later as payment for travel expenses into Sabah.

However, the worker also said that in her previous application one and a half years ago, she was provided only with a one-month tourist visa to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the daily also reported that the Nunukan migrant worker task force had decided to stop sending workers back to Sabah, especially those arriving after Sept 1.

"We will accept no applications from migrant workers sent here from Sabah since Sept 1, unless they have a job order and work contract," said the task force in its report.

Documents being processed

The report was submitted to Tim 12, a joint monitoring team formed by the Jakarta government, to survey the migrant worker situation and make appropriate recommendations.

M Hasan Basri, Tim 12's secretary and the head of the Labour and Transmigration office in Nunukan, was reported as saying that the administration was currently processing the documents of 13,422 applicants.

"Most of those who have insisted on going back to their former employers could not show a job order or other legal contract," Basri said.

It is estimated that another 60,000 and 80,000 Indonesian workers are expected to leave Sabah for Nunukan this month.

In a related development, the Malaysian government has said that it would temporarily halt deportations of Filipino migrant workers after Philippine President Gloria Arroyo requested permission for inspectors to check on conditions in Sabah immigration camps.

The deportation of migrant workers from Sabah had evoked outrage in the Philippines after media reports claimed that at least seven children died because of poor hygiene in Sabah camps.