Malaysia, Indonesia agree to offer temporary shelter to 7,000 migrants

Anifah (centre) with his Thai counterpart Tanasak (left) and Indonesian counterpart Retno.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to offer temporary shelter to the 7,000 migrants still at sea.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said the offer was under the understanding the resettlement and repatriation process would be done in a year.

The resettlement and repatriation are to be carried out by the international community, he said after a meeting on human trafficking on Wednesday.

Earlier foreign ministers from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand held talks here Wednesday on the issue of irregular movement of people, in particular human trafficking.

The meeting involving Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his Thailand counterpart General Tanasak Patimapragorn, who is also Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Indonesia's Retno Marsudi, convened at Wisma Putra here.