Kuala Lumpur  - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday played down recent tensions with Malaysia over domestic workers, saying both countries were focused on resolving the problems and moving on.

After acknowledging there were cases of Indonesian maids suffering "injustice" in Malaysia, Yudhoyono said he was nonetheless satisfied with the level of discussions regarding the maids' working conditions.

"Every year, we do an evaluation of the Indonesian workers in terms of their protection, their rights, their treatment," he said. "The progress so far is extremely significant, compared to our past experiences."

"But we cannot take it for granted," he said. "We need to do more."

Yudhoyono spoke at a joint news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

Malaysia is home to hundreds of thousands of Indonesian workers, both working legally and illegally who work in various industries ranging from construction to domestic work to agriculture.

Recently, Indonesia temporarily banned its maids from being sent to Malaysia as both sides trash out rules to better protect the women after an increase in abuse cases by Malaysian employers.

In an apparent bid to appease Jakarta, Malaysia announced that Indonesian maids would now be given one day off a week and government workers would make surprise checks on employers to ensure that the maids were well treated.

Najib vowed that all those who flouted the law, including Malaysian employers who mistreat their maids, would be punished.

The two leaders vowed to strengthen the relationship between their countries, which share strong ethic and cultural ties.

"Even though there have been a few problems, they have been small and sparked off by small groups," Najib said.

"These problems should not override all the good and positive things about our relationship," he said.

The maid issue has many times threatened to escalate, adding to tension regarding maritime borders and allegations by some groups in Indonesia that Malaysia was prone to "stealing" cultural heritage by laying claim to certain traditions.

Yudhoyono's visit to Malaysia, his first official trip abroad since taking the oath of office for a second term last month, has been hailed as a hopeful sign of warming ties.

Yudhoyono was due to leave Kuala Lumpur later Thursday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore. (dpa)