Malaysians must stop stereotyping Indonesians as menial labourers, or risk damaging relations between the two countries, Malaysia's ambassador to Indonesia said according to reports today.

Zainal Abidin Mohd Zin said Malaysians should realise there are thousands of Indonesian professionals and businesspeople working in Malaysia and that many more visit the country as genuine tourists.

"It's only fair we change our perception towards Indonesians. Even if many of them are maids and contract labourers, they are human beings and should be treated with fairness and dignity," Zainal told the New Straits Times.

The ambassador said that discrimination and disrespect towards Indonesians had given Malaysians a reputation for arrogance and could damage long-term bilateral relations if it was not immediately addressed.

Speaking during Malaysian deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak's trip to Indonesia's Sulawesi province, he also urged prompt handling of complaints of abuse towards Indonesian workers, which have triggered bad press in the Indonesian media.

"With more than two million Indonesians working in Malaysia, legally or otherwise, there are bound to be problems and cases of abuse," Zainal was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

"But the thing is, if they happened, why are not these cases resolved? From the point of view of the Indonesians, we are practising double standards."

Abusive employers

The Indonesian government last month upped the pressure on Malaysia to take swift action against abusive employers, saying too many Indonesian maids were being mistreated in Malaysia.

A Malaysian housewife was last month charged with the murder of her Indonesian maid, and in another recent incident, a maid climbed out of the window of a high-rise apartment in Kuala Lumpur to escape a violent employer.

Malaysia relies heavily on foreign workers, particularly in the construction and agricultural sectors, and the Indonesian embassy says about 300,000 Indonesian maids are employed here.

While local authorities have denied abuse is on the rise, the Indonesian embassy said more than 1,000 abused or unpaid workers seek refuge in its compound every year.