Baharkam Polri Failed To Send Illegal PMIs In Batam

Baharkam Polri's Sea Reader ship when securing a pencave ship carrying six PMIs unofficially in Batam waters. (ANTARA/HO-Baharkam Polri)

The Bisma 8001 Patrol Vessel Ditpolairud Korpolairud Baharkam Polri thwarted an attempt to send 6 illegal Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) in the waters of Behindpadang, Batam City, Riau Islands and arrested two suspects with the initials MD (22 Years) and SU (33 Years).

Dirpolair Korpolairud Baharkam Polri Brigadier General Yassin Kosasih said the six illegal PMIs were planned to be smuggled into Malaysia by transferring ships to ships in Indonesia-Malaysia border waters on Wednesday (31/5).

"The patrol team thwarted an attempt to smuggle 6 non-procedural PMIs in the waters of Behindpadang. This non-procedural PMI is planned to be brought to Malaysia by moving from the ship to a ship in the waters of the Indonesia-Malaysia border," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, June 3.

He explained that when securing the ship, his party arrested one person as the tekong of a ship with the initials MD (22 Years). From MD, the Police carried out developments and arrested another person who acted as the administrator of the illegal PMI departure on Friday (2/6) in Batam.

"From the tekong of the ship with the initials MD, we carried out the development and securing one of the administrators who arranged the departure of the illegal PMIs, namely the initials SU (33 Years). This SU has communication with ship owners in Malaysia," he said.

From MD's confession, he received a salary of Rp. 500 thousand from each PMI. Meanwhile, SU itself from PMI charges around Rp. 5-7 million per person.

"From MD's confession, this is the first time he has made an illegal PMI delivery. For SU, he admitted that he had set the departure of illegal PMIs to Malaysia for the fourth time," he said.

The six PMIs that were rescued by the police were known to come from various areas such as East Java, Bengkulu, West Java, South Sulawesi and NTB. They are currently still being questioned by KP investigators Bisma 8001.

"We are still asking them for information for the completeness of the file. For further investigation, this case is submitted to investigators from the Gakkum Sub-Directorate of the Ditpolairud Korpolairud Baharkam Polri in Jakarta. For the victims, we will coordinate with related parties for repatriation," he said.

Tekong Kapal, MD and the management with the initials SU themselves were charged with Law No. 21 of 2007 article 2 paragraph 1 concerning the eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons and/or Article 81 junto article 69 of Law no. 18 of 2017. The two perpetrators face a maximum imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum of IDR 15 billion.