Malaysia Awaiting Arrival Of Indonesian Maids From March

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- The government is optimistic of receiving the first batch of Indonesian maids in early March after a two-year freeze, said Malaysia Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam. He said Malaysia had done all things agreed upon by both countries and was awaiting the arrival of the first batch of Indonesian maids. He said the efforts included a meeting between Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to iron out the problem amicably at the end of last year. However, the actual number of the first group of Indonesian maids will depend on the number of applications made through employment agencies in the country, he said at a news conference here Wednesday. Indonesia officially withdrew the moratorium on the sending of maids to Malaysia starting Dec 1 last year but would only send them from March. A total of 121 Malaysian employment agencies are getting ready to collaborate with their Indonesian counterparts in the placement of maids from the republic to Malaysia starting early next month. -- BERNAMA