70 Indonesian Migrant Workers Deported From Malaysia For Drug Cases

JAKARTA - 70 of the 254 Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who were sent back by the Malaysian government for being involved in drug cases, from three temporary detention centers (PTS) in the working area of the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Center (BP2MI) Nunukan through the Head of the Protection and Empowerment Section of PMI Arbain confirmed this.

He said that out of 70 PMI cases of narcotics, they were sent home after serving their sentence for months at PTS or in Sabah prison. However, upon arrival in Nunukan Regency or during quarantine in the Rusunawa, there was no strict supervision.

"There is no special supervision to PMI for drug cases while in the Rusunawa shelter," he said in Nunukan, quoted by Antara, Friday, April 23.

Apart from narcotics cases, there are also other violations such as entering Malaysia illegally or not having a passport of 78 people, 8 general criminals, overstaying or having a passport but the visit period ends (69), PKP violations (2) and being born in Malaysia without document (22).

Arbain stated that the 254 PMIs expelled from Malaysia would be temporarily accommodated for five days in the Rusunawa Nunukan Regency and then returned to their hometowns after the results of their swab examinations had been received.