In 2007, I paid an agent in Malaysia 2,500 ringgit [$730] to obtain a work permit for me. I did not know that the permit I had obtained was fake. In 2008, when I was trying to leave Malaysia to Denpasar through KLIA airport, I was arrested because of the fake permit. At the time of my arrest, I had about 750 ringgit [$220] and 6 million Indonesian rupiah [$650] in cash with me. I was taken to the KLIA Immigration Depot, where they recorded my possessions. When I was then taken to court some days later, they returned my possessions, including the money. I found that 1 million rupiah was missing. There was no decision at the court, and I was then taken to the Sepang police station, where I had to deposit my possession again and it was recorded. The police officer there took 390 of my Malaysian ringgit [$115]. Three days later, I was sent to the Sungai Buloh prison, but they did not take any of my money there. I was kept in the Sungai Buloh prison for two months, after which I was again taken to court. This time, the court sentenced me to imprisonment but ordered that since my sentence had already been served, I should be released. I was then taken back to the KLIA depot, where I checked in my cash and possessions. When it was time to leave the KLIA, I found out that all my Malaysian ringgit had been taken. When I complained, the officers told me that I had already signed a document and that I did not have the right to complain. . . . By that time, my airplane ticket had expired, and the ticket could not be used any longer. A friend of mine from outside managed to buy me a new ticket, and I left Malaysia.
Narrative credit to Amnesty International
Originally published in ‘Trapped: The Exploitation of Migrant Workers in Malaysia’
