Far From Home: Migrant workers risk death, arrest and abuse by illegally entering Malaysia. Is it worth it?

Like Mr Syamsul, Mr Jaspal (not his real name) was blacklisted from Malaysia under similar circumstances: Absconding from his first employer whom he claims did not pay him his wages.

For four years, the 32-year-old – who hails from Punjab in northern India – was working without proper documentation, doing various informal jobs for an employer who was in the agricultural business in the town of Rawang, Selangor.

While the minimum pay in Malaysia is fixed at RM1,500 (US$342) per month, Mr Jaspal said that in some good months he can earn up to RM2,500 monthly, depending on commissions.

In 2022, he took advantage of an immigration department’s repatriation programme that allowed undocumented migrants in the country to leave for a fine of RM500 as he missed home.

Mr Jaspal told CNA that he tried to find work in India but the pay was a mere pittance for someone who does not have any educational qualifications. It was a far cry compared to his days in Malaysia where he could earn five times as much doing the same job.

“I felt I had no choice but to come back. It really wasn’t an easy decision to come here again,” he said, adding that he had secured a job with his previous employer prior to his return.

As he was blacklisted from entering the country, Mr Jaspal took another route to enter Malaysia in 2023. This time, he booked a flight to Bangkok, Thailand before entering Malaysia illegally by land via a bus. 

He paid about RM4,000 to an agent.

While Mr Jaspal admitted that he does not know the route in which the bus had taken him, he managed to enter Malaysia without getting his passport stamped, adding that he was on the bus the whole time and did not get out to pass through any immigration land crossings.

The journey to the border with some migrants from India as well as those from other countries took about 20 hours altogether. 

He has heard of some other migrants who have had to cross rivers to get into Malaysia. 

On Nov 5, the Kelantan state government announced that it would propose the construction of a 100km wall along the Malaysia-Thailand border to the federal government.

About a week later, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution said the wall was still at the proposal stage. But it has since been reported that Thailand has agreed to the plan to build the security and flood wall along the Golok River that lies on the border of the two countries. 

Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain was reported as saying by Bernama that a wall would help the authorities curb cross-border criminal activities. 

Meanwhile, it is not known if the people smuggling Mr Jaspal into Malaysia had bribed Thai and Malaysian officials for a safe passage across the border.

But a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime earlier in March on migrant smuggling in Southeast Asia said such corrupt practices are common in the region as in other places around the world.

Now a lorry driver in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Jaspal said many of his friends have been detained at various depots run by the immigration department and has heard of the harrowing accounts of the conditions of abuse at these facilities.   

Every morning before venturing out for work, Mr Jaspal said he offers a silent plea to God: That he evades the authorities.

He claims that he has offered bribes during the times he has been stopped by enforcement officers, so as to not get locked up. 

These days, Mr Jaspal added that his drives are restricted to locations nearby because of the recent intense raids against undocumented migrants by the immigration department.

“I have learned to become more careful and alert of my surroundings. If I have a choice, I would still like to go home and be with my family, but it just isn’t possible at the moment. I can only take it one day at a time,” said Mr Jaspal, who wants to get married and settle down back home one day.