Militants urge boycott of Malaysian companies

An alliance of more than 82 militant overseas workers’ groups called yesterday for a boycott of the products and services of Malaysian companies to protest the "inhumane treatment" of Filipino migrants in that country.

The groups called for the boycott as a Malaysian lawyer-activist sharply criticized the Malaysian government for its mishandling of the deportation of thousands of Filipinos from Sabah, Malaysia.

At least 18 infants and five adults have died while hundreds of others fell into various illnesses while in detention in Malaysia for violating immigration laws.

Migrante International secretary general Poe Gratela said the alliance was calling for a boycott to protest such "horrendous" detention conditions.

"The Malaysian government’s intensified crackdown and deportation of Filipinos has resulted in the deaths of 18 infants, five adults and hundreds more subjected to dehydration, malnutrition and other illnesses due to the horrendous conditions in the Malaysia detention centers," Gratela said.

In a forum, Migrante unveiled a row of small black coffins to signify the unnecessary deaths of Filipino children during their deportation.

"The Malaysian government is guilty of gross human rights violations committed against Filipinos and other migrants. For this, they deserve our strongest economic and political condemnation," Gratela said.

Gratela also called on the Arroyo administration to conduct an independent on-site, fact-finding mission immediately and opposed the appointment of Ambassador to Malaysia Chito Brillantes as undersecretary for migrant workers affairs.

"Clearly, Ambassador Brillantes has been negligent and inutile in protecting the rights of our compatriots in that country," Gratela said.

Senate probe likely

Meanwhile, Senator Manuel Villar, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign affairs, said his committee will conduct an investigation on the deaths of Filipinos being deported from Malaysia.

Villar said the committee’s probe will focus on a reassessment of the government’s position on the country’s long-shelved claim on the province of Sabah.

"We should not rush on the issue, Villar said. "We have filed our diplomatic protest against Malaysia but it is not enough. We should look into this so that we are prepared on what we will do next."

Villar said there seems to be pattern where the government is very cautious in issuing statements that will affect the countries relations with countries, such as the United States, Japan and China.

"Like when I conducted hearings on the comfort women who were victims of atrocities, I was cautioned that it might irk Japan. So there seems to be a pattern that we are adopting Policy that will not affect our economic benefits (from those) countries," he said.

Villar said he was not questioning the Malaysian government’s implementation of their immigration laws but was simply objecting to the manner through which the Malaysians implemented their laws.

"I am not questioning their right to do it. The legal matter is different from the moral. What I’m questioning is their treatment (of) their neighboring country," he said.

He said the government should be open to all possible options to address the issue: "We should act tough once in a while as many Filipinos are still in Malaysia and are being threatened to be deported also."

Malaysian blasts KL gov’t

Also yesterday, a Malaysian lawyer-activist k. Haridas, who is in town for a gathering of peace activists from around the region, sharply criticized his own government for what he described as "inhuman" treatment of Filipino deportees from Sabah.

"The Malaysian government has treated them in an inhuman way," said Haridas, an official of the Malaysia-based International Movement for Just World.

"While I believe that migration is a problem that my government should address, I don’t believe it should handle it this way."

Haridas is the lone Malaysian delegate to the four-day founding congress of the Asian Peace Alliance (APA) at the University of the Philippines.

The lawyer deplored in particular Malaysian security forces for beating up illegal migrant workers and detaining them in cells under subhuman conditions.

Haridas said the better thing to do is for the Mahathir administration, as a host government, to discuss with the worker-sending countries, like the Philippines and Indonesia, how the issue of illegal migrants could be addressed without violating Malaysian national sovereignty.

He said Malaysian politicians are to blame because they have been exploiting illegal migrants to pursue their own ends.

"For example, during election time, they issue these migrant workers identity papers so that they could vote for them," he said. "After the

elections, it’s back to being illegals for these workers."

He said illegal migration has also been a root cause of corruption among the Malaysian police and customs establishment.

"Malaysian officialdom pins the blame on the migrant workers," he said, "it’s about time they start looking at itself in the search for answers to questions on corruption."

He said the Mahathir administration should not forget that it would not have achieved the economic growth of up to eight percent annually over the past 10 years without the migrant workers.

The solution, he said, are "multi-lateral" agreements among the concerned countries on proper documentation and the rights of migrant workers in the host countries.

"There has got to be a humane way of dealing with this issue, one that respects human rights, even of those considered illegal entrants," said Haridas said.

Haridas said he himself has not escaped the ribbing of fellow delegates from other countries over the issue.

"It is a shameful thing to do – treat people like they were not at all human," he said.