KUALA LUMPUR: Over 1,500 children born to Indonesian migrant workers employed in Malaysia have received their Indonesian citizenship papers, giving them access to basic education and social protections.
Indonesian Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, in a forum here, said the stateless children who are mostly in Johor Baru, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and here have been facing legal uncertainties.
“Statelessness is more than an administrative issue,” he told a forum at the Indonesian embassy here on Friday (Sept 4), attended by other Indonesian ministers.
“We want to ensure that all Indonesian citizens have the necessary documents so that they can work peacefully, as long as the Malaysian government continues to require their labour,” he added.
Supratman said the initiative was a joint effort with four other Indonesian ministries to assist Indonesians here by reducing bureaucratic processes.
These included streamlining migrant worker regulations, expanding state presence abroad to resolve legal hurdles, strengthening protections through document recovery, and pushing for unified multi‑agency action to safeguard overseas citizens.
The dialogue provided a platform for workers to directly voice their daily struggles, such as undocumented status issues hindering their other necessities and even returning to Indonesia.
The ministers present acknowledged their concerns and outlined their key commitments.
Regarding a Malaysian pilot detained in Indonesia for drug trafficking into the country on July 28, Supratnam noted to the media that investigations on their end were still ongoing.
