Members Of The DPR F-PKS Ask The Government To Give Legal Aid To Indonesian Citizens Robbers Of Elderly Japan

JAKARTA - Member of Commission I of the House of Representatives Sukamta highlighted the case of an Indonesian citizen (WNI) who was arrested by the Japanese police for allegedly carrying out attempted robbery and murder of two elderly people. Sukamta asked the government to provide legal and consular assistance to the Indonesian citizen.

"It is important for the government to guarantee the protection of the rights of our Indonesian citizens who are dragged into legal cases in accordance with the applicable regulations in Japan. The government must also ensure that the Indonesian citizen has full access to adequate legal assistance," said Sukamta, Tuesday, December 3.

The Indonesian citizen with the initials YAP is an intern at a building raw material company in Chihama, Kakegawa, and has been in Japan for two years. YAP has admitted to robbery of the elderly couple on Monday, November 18, for online gambling.

But he denied planning to kill the two victims. YAP was arrested in Kakegawa, Japan, and faces up to five years in prison.

Sukamta regretted the incident, especially since YAP's actions left the two elderly aged 81 years and 78 years seriously injured and hospitalized.

However, he reminded that it was the state's obligation to provide protection to its citizens, including legal assistance for Indonesian citizens involved in the problem.

"Legal support is the basic right for every Indonesian citizen who faces legal processes abroad. The government must ensure that there are no violations of the rights of our Indonesian citizens during the legal process," explained Sukamta.

Sukamta asked the government through representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo to continue to coordinate with Japanese authorities. "The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo must continue to coordinate with Japanese authorities, including the Kakegawa Police, in order to obtain in-depth information regarding the chronology of cases, the evidence submitted, and the condition of the victims," he said.

According to Sukamta, good transparency and communication with the Japanese government are strategic steps that must be taken by Indonesia. This is to ensure a fair legal process for YAP.

On the other hand, Sukamta also highlighted the motives of YAP for committing crimes because of online gambling. He urged the government to continue to eradicate online gambling because the impact was very worrying as in the YAP case.

"This case is a warning that online gambling is not only a social problem, but can also trigger criminal acts that harm many parties," said Sukamta.

"The government must immediately cooperate with internet service providers to block access to gambling sites," he added.

The Yogyakarta electoral district PKS legislator also asked the government to evaluate internship programs for Indonesian citizens abroad. According to him, the pre-departure training program must be strengthened with material on financial management, moral education, and legal protection.

"This is important to prevent interns from falling into problems that can harm themselves or have a negative impact on the country," said Sukamta.

As a member of Commission I who has a scope of intelligence, international relations, communication and informatics, it invites all Indonesian people who live abroad to maintain the good name of the nation.

"We will continue to monitor this case and ensure that the Government carries out its duties well. And we hope that all Indonesian citizens abroad will maintain their attitudes and comply with existing norms in every country. Do not damage the good image that has been built by Indonesia so far," said Sukamta.

For information, data from Indonesian citizens in Japan amounted to 67 thousand people before COVID-19 and decreased to around 60 thousand at the beginning of the pandemic. However, based on a Japanese Immigration report in June 2022, Indonesian citizens have reached 83 thousand people

Of this number, interns or kenshusei recorded an increase to 44 thousand people who were previously only 34 thousand. Meanwhile, for the category of workers with. Specific skills (specified skills), the number reaches almost 10 thousand people.