MIRI – The Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak has called on the state government to immediately halt the intake of 27,000 migrant workers.
Secretary-general Michael Jok said the state cabinet must rescind its March 1 decision to approve the entry of 27,000 migrant workers into Sarawak.
The approval came after state authorities conceded that low-paid migrant labour is urgently needed at logging camps, oil palm plantations and construction sites.
“We are looking at the possibility of a Covid-19 disaster of frightening proportions if we open the borders for these 27,000 (migrant) workers at this present time, (as) Covid-19 is already spreading beyond control in rural Sarawak,” said Jok.
“The situation will turn even more disastrous because (undocumented) workers will also flow in.
“Past experience has shown that in rural areas in Sarawak, for every 50 (migrant) workers holding a legitimate work permit, there are 50 (undocumented) workers.
“The coronavirus spread will be beyond control in Sarawak once (migrant workers enter), especially from Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“Indonesia still has a high rate of infections and deaths, including in Kalimantan.”
He was commenting on the detection of the Begalak cluster in timber concession zones in Song district, deep in central Sarawak, two days ago.
Sixty-two logging workers there have been found positive for Covid-19 over the past 48 hours.
Jok said there is a big possibility that many of these migrant workers have not been screened for Covid-19, as their camps are located in remote pockets throughout the state.
He said they are at high risk of infection due to cramped living conditions, which have also resulted in a virus surge in longhouses.
“There are already tens of thousands of (migrant) labourers, especially Indonesians, employed at logging and plantation camps.
“In my home district of Belaga – located in central Sarawak, 600km inland from Miri – there are at least 10 big timber and plantation companies.
“They have huge camps all over their operation zones where these foreign workers work and live, and their quarters are known to be congested.
“Any Covid-19 case among these foreign workers will spark a chain of infections that will spread to surrounding settlements, too.” – The Vibes, March 17, 2021
