Ismira Lutfia – If Malaysians seem to have been unfazed by the almost yearlong ban on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers, it is because an underground business has continued to ensure a steady supply.

Anis Hidayah, director of labor watchdog Migrant Care, said "because the demand for workers from Indonesia is always met," albeit illegally, Malaysia seemed "unperturbed" by the temporary ban. "In reality, the moratorium does not have any effect on recruitment," Anis said.

Malaysia's thestar.com news portal reported on Monday that the ban had created a thriving business of smuggling illegal workers to meet the high demand for labor.

According to a freelance agent interviewed by the Malaysian news portal, the recruitment fee charged by one agency had soared from 5,000 ringgit ($1,500), inclusive of payments for the levy, work permit, airfare and six months' salary, to as high as 10,000 ringgit after the moratorium was imposed.

Government officials and migrant worker activists have all confirmed the practice.

Wahyu Susilo, also from Migrant Care, said some cases he had handled recently had shown that the workers' "date of entry to Malaysia was after the moratorium was enforced."

Iskandar Maula, director of overseas workers at the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, has said there has been an increase in cases of smuggled workers in recent months.

Rosstiawati, director for overseas worker placements at the ministry, said illegal recruitment of Indonesian migrant workers was rampant, especially in North Sumatra and East Kalimantan.

"We acknowledged that there is such a practice, and this issue has been frequently discussed in our joint working group," she told the Jakarta Globe.

Jamaluddin, advocacy coordinator of the Indonesian Migrant Workers' Union (SBMI), said the illegal workers found their way into Malaysia by land and sea entrances.

He said the government was not serious about the moratorium and should have increased border controls to prevent workers being smuggled into Malaysia.

The government also should "cooperate with police and customs officials at the border" and seek ways to tackle the illegal recruiters in Malaysia, he said.

Recruitment agencies still manage to send workers to Malaysia through "back-door" deals and with the cooperation of unregistered labor suppliers in Malaysia, he said.

Rosstiawati also said such practices were possible because there were Malaysian recruiters who came to Indonesia to recruit workers. "We have also complained about that to the Malaysian government," she said.

Rosstiawati agreed that "the key to handling this problem is law enforcement."