REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MATARAM -- The Malaysian Government has deported 1,111 illegal workers from West Nusa Tenggara in the first six months of this year.

They have worked in Malaysia illegally or without valid documents, head of the NTB manpower and transmigration office H Wildan said here on Friday.

The 1,111 workers from NTB included 969 males and 142 female workers, Wildan said.

He said most of the workers were deported for overstay and became migrant workers without immigration document.

Their return was facilitated by the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry which paid for the cost of their travel from Jakarta to West Lombok, he said.

Upon arrival at the port of Lembar in West Lombok, the NTB Manpower office took over the responsibility for sending them to their respective villages.

"We already set aside a budget for the return of migrant workers every year. In 2017, the budget is set at Rp100 million," he said.

In 2014, Malaysia deported 3,130 migrant workers from NTB. The number dropped to 2,408 in 2015 but rose to 2,721 in 2016.

He said his office called on people seeking to work abroad to follow the procedure that they would not face legal problems abroad.

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