Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers sent home - PM

JAKARTA - Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers in Malaysia who do not have documents have been sent home, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said though the issue of documents is a serious matter, the Malaysian government will see that it is handled well without going through court proceedings.

"In cases of those detained to be sent home, we will speed up the process," he told the media after the Temu Anwar programme yesterday.

The Prime Minister was asked by the local media on the progress in managing the problem of Indonesian workers in Malaysia following Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Malaysia last June.

Touching on the South China Sea issue that was discussed in the ASEAN Summit today, Anwar said: "We have our stance and we insist that ASEAN too should be firm in defending our rights and to negotiate well with China."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said Malaysia welcomes the ASEAN leaders' decision for the Philippines to be the ASEAN chair in 2026.

"Next year is Laos, followed by Malaysia, then it should be Myanmar, but the consensus was that, since the Myanmar problem has not been resolved, the issue of oppression and ongoing conflict will be handed over to the Philippines and President (Ferdinand) Marcos Jr has agreed. This is a very positive development," he said. - BERNAMA