Putrajaya, 3 March 2005 – The highest Malaysian official in charge of the return of undocumented  today reiterated that Malaysia is determined to respect the rights and protect the welfare of returning undocumented Filipinos from Malaysia.

This assurance was given today by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo when the two officials met today to discuss the issue of undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia.

“This is an assurance that we certainly welcome.  But more than that, we deeply appreciate Malaysia’s agreement to establish a mechanism that will help address complaints that might be made by undocumented Filipinos regarding the violation of their basic human rights,” Secretary Romulo said.

“We also discussed the importance of working closely in ensuring that those who return home will be treated properly and will be given assistance and comfort when they arrive in the Philippines,” the Secretary said. ”From my discussions at the Ministry of Home affairs, it was clear that police and immigration authorities want to implement their immigration laws while at the same time fully respecting the basic rights of others,” the Secretary said.

“It was also clear that Malaysia is willing to take back a number of our nationals, once they are properly documented and once they obtain their work permits for Malaysia,” the Secretary added.

The Secretary said that his discussions with Minister Azmi were quite detailed. “We come away from our meetings with a better understanding of the situation and a determination to cooperate in facing this problem.” It is in this context, the Secretary said that “we welcome in particular the meeting next week between our authorities which we will identify areas of cooperation and common ground as we expect more returnees from Malaysia.” END
 

/jay