REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PONTIANAK -- Malaysia has deported some 45 undocumented migrant workers to Indonesia through the Cross-Border Post (PLBN) in Entikong, Sanggau District, West Kalimantan Province, an official stated here on Wednesday. Ahnas, head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement, Protection, and Monitoring Agency (BP3TKI) said that the migrant workers arrived at 8:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday (Jan 30) and were received by the Social Affairs Office.

"Most migrant workers were being sent back, as they did not carry relevant documents," Ahnas remarked in Pontianak.

Ahnas said that the agency had imposed several measures, such as organizing regular public meetings and campaigns on social and mass media, to halt the entry of illegal migrant workers into Malaysia. BP3TKI also strengthened supervision on the PLBN through partnerships with the Police and other offices" he stated.

However, some challenges were still encountered in the implementation, such as some brokers who had reportedly sought to smuggle undocumented migrant workers into Malaysia. "We have struggled to secure all borders in West Kalimantan, as these criminals are using some routes that the Police have not yet detected," he stressed.

On a similar occasion, Ahnas noted that the deported migrant workers can still seek jobs overseas as long as they were not on the blacklist of certain countries. He emphasized that the Indonesian government will always remain committed to helping migrant workers complete all documentation and permits before being deported to other countries.

According to records of the BP3TKI in Pontianak for the last three years, the number of deportees crossing through the border posts in West Kalimantan had reached 1,904 workers in 2015, 2,172 in 2016, and 2,583 in 2017. On the other hand, the number of migrant workers officially deported from Pontianak in 2015 had reached 2,506 in 2015, 1,750 in 2016, and 1,023 in 2017.

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