Kuala Lumpur - Indonesia will be glad to welcome home some 24,000 Acehnese tunsami evacuees now living in Malaysia if their stay permits in the neighboring country are not extended, Indonesia`s chief diplomat here said.
"We cannot continue asking Malaysia to accomodate the 24,000 Acehnese who were evacuated (to Malaysia) because of the December 26, 2004 tsunami," Indonesian Ambassadsor to Malaysia Da`i Bachtiar said here Thursday.
Bachtiar made the remark in response to the call made on the Indonesian government by a prominent Acehnese figure in Malaysia, Basri bin Yusuf, to lobby the Malaysian government to extend the Acehnese evacuees` stay permits.
He said the Acehnese displaced persons could return to Aceh to develop their own region as Aceh had received great amounts of autonomy funds, was safe again and no longer being ravaged by armed coflict.
The envoy said the Malaysian government had greatly helped the Acehnese who were evacuated due to the 2004 tsunami which claimed no fewer than 200,000 lives.
The Malaysian government would continue to give work permits to Acehnese who carried "tsunami cards" and had permanent jobs.
The tsunami cards would be replaced by work permit cards while jobless Acehnese would be deported to Aceh, Bachtiar said.
The Malaysian government accomodated 32,000 Acehnese in 2005 after Indonesia`s westernmost province was hit by tsunami on December 26, 2004.
They (the Acehnese) were permitted to stay in Malaysia for two years to earn a living and forget the hardships due to the tsunami.
The validity of the tsunami cards actually expired in 2007 but it was extended until August 2008 after some prominent Acehnese who had become government officials lobbied the Malaysian government.
Part of the 32,000 Acehnese who had evacuated to Malaysia had in the memantime returned home but about 24,000 of them had remained in the neighboring country.
The Malaysian government had several times said it would not extend the validity of the Acehnese`s tsunami cards.
Acehnese in Malaysia total about 50,000 consisting of those who have become permanent residents and tsunami card holders.
Indonesians curently living in Malaysia number 1.2 million conisting of legitimate migrant workers, expatriate employees, about 15,000 students and around 200,000 in various other capacities.
Source: http://www.antara.co.id (06/12/08)
