Nurfika Osman & Antara – The holy month of Ramadan has seen an increase in the number of illegal Indonesian workers deported from Malaysia, an official said on Sunday.

Said Parman, head of the Manpower and Transmigration Agency in Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands, said as many as 600 illegal workers were arriving from the neighboring country each week, up from an average of 400.

"The Malaysian government used to return the workers twice a month through the Sri Bintan Pura Tanjung Pinang harbor, but now they return them four times a month," Parman said. But Teguh Hendro Cahyono, the labor affairs attache at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, told the Jakarta Globe that the number of illegal workers deported had ups and downs.

"There is no pattern to the number of workers being sent to their home towns. It keeps fluctuating," Cahyono said. "Each month, Malaysia sends home an average of 400 to 600 maids who do not have proper documents each month."

He said the Indonesian government also deported foreign workers without proper documents. "I think it is normal," he said, adding that the number of Indonesians deported could reach more than 24,000 this year.

But, according to Said, that number had been steadily increasing. In 2005, the number reached more than 10,700, and surpassed 23,900 the next year. In 2007, more than 34,900 were sent packing, but about 35,300 were deported last year. From January to August this year, about 23,300 workers were returned.

"Sometimes the Malaysian police arrest the wrong person. They arrest workers with documents," Teguh said, adding that those who are arrested would be released or return home within two weeks.

Separately, Muhammad Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI), slammed Malaysia for continuing to receive Indonesian informal workers despite a moratorium pending the signing of a new agreement to cover workers' salaries and holidays, among other things.

"Malaysia is very annoying. Placement of informal workers has been suspended, but they still receive our workers from different channels. Why don't we stop sending all workers?" Hidayat said.

According to Foreign Ministry data, officially there were some 3.2 million Indonesian workers in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, the ministry estimated the actual number may be twice as high when taking undocumented workers into account.

Spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said in Malaysia alone, there were an estimated two million Indonesian workers, including those who were undocumented.

Faizasyah said problems related to migrant workers were complex, and his ministry received complaints daily, indicating the country had not yet done enough to secure the rights of its workers abroad.