At least 10,000 migrant workers remain in camps at the Indonesian border town of Nunukan while the hope of obtaining work permits dwindle as media interests on the matter decline.

The Consortium for Indonesian Migrant Workers' Defence (Kopbumi) said large numbers of migrant workers are still staying in camps and barracks set up by the government since the migrant worker influx started in early April into Nunukan, across the border from Tawau, Sabah.

"Seventy six had died so far. The hospital ship that was sent by the (Indonesian) government had also departed Nunukan for Jakarta as the authorities felt that local health services are now sufficient to cope with the situation," said Kopbumi executive director Wahyu Susilo when contacted today.

However, Wahyu said volunteers from Kopbumi at Nunukan had reported that living conditions in camps and barracks were still poor as indicated by the death toll.

Debate on laws

He said fewer media reports on the issue had given the impression that the humanitarian crisis at the border town, which first surfaced in August, had been resolved.

"There is still a problem that there is no transparency by the government as to the budget that had been allocated for aid. We do not know what kind of assistance had been ordered by the government," he added.

Meanwhile, Wahyu said as estimated 110,000 Indonesian migrant workers had returned to jobs in various parts of Malaysia, mainly Sabah.

"Some 50,000 to 60,000 of them do not have work permits but they entered Sabah with passports on social visit passes," he noted.

Wahyu said these issues were discussed during a dialogue session attended by Manpower and Transmigration Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea and Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah.

"The session was organised to discuss the experiences and danger faced by Indonesian workers while abroad. The labour organisations are continuing to push for laws to protect workers and bilateral agreements with the receiving countries," he explained.

Among others, Wahyu said labour activists asked for the Indonesian government to look into two cases of workers facing legal difficulties.

"We have asked the government to look into the case of Sundarti Supriyanto in Singapore and another domestic worker who has said that she was raped by her employer, a 'Tan Sri' from Johor," he said.

Sundarti has been accused of murdering her employer and the employer's child and if convicted, will face the death penalty. The alleged rape of the Indonesian domestic worker has been reported to Malaysian police but no other action had resulted from the report.

Soured ties

Wahyu said a motion to formulate new laws to protect migrant workers had been supported by 60 members of parliament.

"Debate on the new laws are likely to take place during the next parliamentary session starting next month," he added.

Controversial debates raged in Indonesian and Philippines over the last two months after some half a million illegal workers from the two countries left Malaysia en masse to avoid being arrested under strict new immigration laws.

At least 100,000 workers departing Sabah had been left stranded in Nunukan in mid-August while similar numbers were forced to leave for Mindanao in the Philippines.

However, latest statistics reported by the human resources ministry last month showed that 300,000 workers, mainly from Indonesia, had been issued with work permits to return.

Malaysia's relations with Indonesia had been strained over the legal provision allowing for caning of illegal immigrants while ties with the Philippines had soured after allegations of ill-treatment and sexual abuse of illegal immigrants while in detention surfaced.