INDONESIAN MAIDS TO MALAYSIA HALTED TEMPORARILY

JAKARTA, June 26 (Bernama) – Beginning Thursday, Indonesia will halt
temporarily sending maids to Malaysia until there are discussions on the review
of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the matter.

Indonesia's Minister for Labour and Transmigration, Erman Suparno, said the
decision was made after closed-door discussions here today with Indonesia's
ambassador to Malaysia Da'i Bachtiar, Indonesia's Deputy Foreign Minister
Triyono Wibowo and the Indonesian Labour Attache in Malaysia Teguh H. Cahyono.

The meeting was held to review the position and protection of maids in
Malaysia.

"Actually, verbally I had spoken of the temporary halt in bilateral talks
with the Malaysian Human Resources Minister (Dr S. Subramaniam) during the
International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 12," Erman said in a statement
Thursday.

Erman said he will send out a letter on the decision to all related agencies
Friday.

The statement said besides that notice is given that maids have the right to
hold their own passports and not their employers and of the standard rights of
maids like wage raises and one off-day each week.

"To enhance the protection of maids, the recruitment mechanism must be done
officially with a clear work contract," it said, adding that employers must use
their maids for legal purposes and if not they (the employers) must be punished
according to the law.

Indonesia on its part would strive to tighthen the departure process of
maids to stem illegal entry into Malaysia.

Erman will travel to Malaysia in early July to meet Dr Subramaniam, Home
Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Works Minister Shaziman Abu
Mansor, the Immigration Department and the police.

The meeting would be to discuss a review of the MoU on maids.

"After that, in the middle of July, there will be a meeting of the joint
working group of Indonesia dan Malaysia which will discuss the implementation of
the agreements entered in the MoU," said Erman.

Meanwhile in KUALA LUMPUR, Dr Subramaniam said his ministry would wait for
an official statement from Indonesia before commenting on the matter.

" We need to know details of the decision," he told Bernama, and added that
he had no further comment on the matter.

--BERNAMA