Indonesian group blames Malaysia for 'inhumane' treatment of illegal migrant workers in Sabah: report

An Indonesian group has alleged that migrant workers who illegally entered or stayed in the Malaysian state of Sabah mainly to work at oil palm plantations were inhumanely treated when they were caught and placed in immigration detention centres.

The Coalition of Sovereign Migrant Workers (KBMB), which is made up of seven groups - one in Hong Kong and six in Indonesia - said it had launched an investigation into the lived experiences of Indonesian migrant workers after stories of abuse were "widely circulating among oil palm plantation workers" amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

An Indonesian migrant worker pictured on a palm oil plantation in Malaysia in early 2020. Photo: AP alt=An Indonesian migrant worker pictured on a palm oil plantation in Malaysia in early 2020. Photo: AP

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It found that at least 1,082 Indonesians were deported from Sabah between June and September, more than 70 per cent of whom were undocumented palm oil workers. But from interviews with more than 40 deportees - including 21 men, 20 women and two children aged 14 and 10- sent back by Sabah authorities to Indonesia's South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara provinces, the coalition established that they were detained in cramped cells, given meals that were raw and stale, and subject to "inhumane and degrading punishments that occurred regularly".

Detainees in every block of the detention centre, which was referred to as PTS, had to line up for a headcount at 6am every morning, before taking turns reciting the words "Good morning, cikgu (teacher)" to the guards, who in turn would tell them to lower their heads and put their hands behind their backs. Those who made a mistake were kicked and hit, and had to thank those who had beat them, the investigation found. They would also be punished by being forced to "squat on the floor all day long".

"If they did not say thank you when they were hit, they would be hit again," said Abu Mufakhir, KBMB member, adding that those interviewed felt they "were really treated like animals".

The report also noted that detainees exhibited signs of "various mental illnesses" and were at risk of contracting a range of diseases because of their filthy living conditions.

"In the PTS, there were 10 blocks with the size of approximately 10 x 15 metres, with an elongated shape. One block contained more than 200 people, even though each block only had three toilet holes," the interviewees said as quoted in the report.

"In PTS, almost all got itches and skin diseases. The water was dirty and smelly. It was not running well too, we often did not shower for three days ... [It] was like hell."

An Indonesian migrant worker places candles on the grave of her husband who worked on a Malaysian palm oil plantation in Sabah in this 2018 file photo. Photo: AP alt=An Indonesian migrant worker places candles on the grave of her husband who worked on a Malaysian palm oil plantation in Sabah in this 2018 file photo. Photo: AP

According to the report some detainees died as well, although it did not elaborate.

Sabah, Malaysia's largest oil palm state located at the northern tip of Borneo island, shares a land border with Indonesia's North Kalimantan province and has a long history of Indonesian migrants resettling there and raising families. 

Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, associate professor at the Faculty of Adab and Humanities of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta who specialises on Malaysia, said Indonesia had long-standing border disagreements with its neighbour stretching back to colonial times.

"There are so many illegal Indonesian citizens there, thousands [of them]," he said.

The Philippines recently revived its territorial claims over Sabah, an issue analysts say often flares up when undocumented residents of the state from the Philippines are targeted by Malaysian authorities for deportation, which has happened in recent months.

Malaysia has cracked down on undocumented migrants in recent months, as the impact of Covid-19 on the economy has fuelled citizens' anger over the amount of resources spent on migrant workers. There has been an uptick of anti-immigrant comments on social media, even as the estimated 5.5 million migrant workers who call Malaysia a temporary home faced a lack of work and food during an earlier national lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus that saw them struggle with the loss of their employment and cramped living conditions.

A graphic showing the Malaysian state of Sabah and the historical basis of the Philippines' claim. Image: SCMP alt=A graphic showing the Malaysian state of Sabah and the historical basis of the Philippines' claim. Image: SCMP

KBMB's report estimated at least 1 million labourers - 90 per cent of them Indonesian - work on Sabah's oil palm plantations, about 770,000 of whom do not have official documents.

But it questioned why those who were arrested were immediately presumed guilty. Detainees claimed they were not asked for official documents and police did not give a reason for arresting them. None were given access to legal counsel until they appeared in court nor were they given access to arrest or trial documents, the report said.

KBMB said its findings captured "systemic torture [that] is rooted in the politics of discrimination against migrants, and anti-migrant politics" in Sabah.

Jerald Joseph, the commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, said the organisation was "shocked" and "alarmed" but had heard these stories before.

An Indonesian migrant worker sharpens the blade of his sickle used for cutting down palm oil fruit in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: AP alt=An Indonesian migrant worker sharpens the blade of his sickle used for cutting down palm oil fruit in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: AP

"We take this report in this positive spirit of wanting to improve conditions of detention, but I think we're more interested together with [Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights] to look at the root causes," he said.

"To the victims, I really feel very pained and saddened to hear their stories. I hope this report [sheds some light on the issue] for our authorities. It's time for us to improve and pull ourselves up."

Indonesia's human rights commissioner, Mohammad Choirul Anam, said his organisation had gone to Makassar and Parepare in South Sulawesi, where some of the deportees are from, to check their accounts, adding that the neighbouring countries would have to work together to resolve these problems.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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