KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia has approved for 23,000 maids to work in Malaysia. They are expected to arrive here beginning mid-August.

Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono said once the One Channel System (OCS) starts operating, maids from Indonesia will arrive in Malaysia beginning the middle of this month.

The ambassador also said the Indonesian embassy had started handling the applications manually even though the OCS is yet to be officially implemented.

He hoped the processing of the applications could be expedited to meet the employers’ needs following the implementation of the OCS system.

It is learned that the first batch of eight Indonesian maids arrived in Malaysia on Monday (August 1), the first batch of maids to arrive here after the MoU on the employment and protection of Indonesian domestic servants was signed between Malaysia and Indonesia on April 1.

Under the MoU, Indonesian maids will get a minimum pay of RM1,500 a month, work within a reasonable job scope, and are entitled to one day off each week.