Haru Indonesian Citizen Victim Of TIP Breaks Up Arriving In Indonesia, Foreign Minister Sugiono: It's Not Easy And It Takes Time

JAKARTA - The man with a black shirt with long sleeves and jeans immediately prostrated himself as he descended from the last step of the Lion Air plane carrying an Indonesian citizen (WNI) suspected of being a victim of the Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) arrived in the country on Tuesday.

After prostration and gratitude, the man with the initials EG immediately shook his hands with Foreign Minister Sugiono and hugged him with emotion. Foreign Minister Sugiono was also seen holding back his emotions with teary eyes. The moment lasted for several times, when one by one the Indonesian citizens who were victims of TIP in Myanmar were successfully repatriated by the Indonesian government arriving at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Banten.

The shocks that occurred in the repatriation of Indonesian citizens this time could not be separated from what they experienced while in Myanmar, as well as the government's efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon, the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok and a number of other parties in carrying out efforts to return home that were not easy.

A total of 400 Indonesian citizens suspected of being victims of TIP arrived in the country today, after efforts that were not easy to get past the conflict area and cross the Myanmar - Thailand border carried out by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry Protection Team together with the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon and the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok.

The Indonesian citizens who fell into the snares of the online scam network from Myawaddy, Myanmar were flown by two planes from Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok, Thailand.

Apart from Foreign Minister Sugiono, the return of Indonesian citizens this time was also welcomed by the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan, Minister for Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Abdul Kadir Karding, Minister of Immigration and Correction Agus Andrianto

"This repatriation effort by Indonesian citizens is President Prabowo's direction to protect and rescue Indonesian citizens who are experiencing problems abroad," said Foreign Minister Sugiono, in a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, March 18.

Foreign Minister Sugiono underlined the complexity of the situation of the evacuation of Indonesian citizens, which was carried out from conflict areas in Myanmar and then crossed the Myanmar Thailand border for 10 hours on land roads with 13 bus fleets.

"There are various factions and interests in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Coordination is not easy and it will take quite a long time to arrive and make evacuation efforts," said Foreign Minister Sugiono.

The Foreign Minister explained, from Myawaddy, initially Indonesian citizens were planned to be flown directly from Maesot, Thailand. However, because of the large number and it was not possible for large planes to fly from Maesot, Indonesian citizens were finally taken to Bangkok to be repatriated via Don Mueang Airport. Indonesian citizens had to travel quite a long time from Maesot.

A joint team from the Central Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon, and the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok played an important role in coordinating, overseeing, and facilitating the repatriation of Indonesian citizens until their arrival in the country.

In addition to today's return, the plan is that the second wave of Indonesian citizens repatriation, which amounts to around 154 people, will arrive in the country tomorrow via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Thus, the total number of Indonesian citizens suspected of being victims of the repatriated TIP amounted to 554 people, with details of 449 men and 105 women.

The first batch of Indonesian citizens' repatriation on Tuesday was led by the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand Rachmat Budiman. Meanwhile, the next batch, which is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, will be led by the Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha.

"I understand that the work done is not easy, and there is also an element of threat to all of them's lives and safety. However, because of their love for fellow citizens, then a sense of responsibility for their duties and dedication, this effort in the midst of various challenges can be carried out as well as possible," said Foreign Minister Sugiono appreciating the efforts made by the Foreign Ministry Team in the field.

In addition to appreciating the Foreign Ministry Team, Foreign Minister Sugiono also expressed his gratitude to the Governments of Thailand and Myanmar. The Foreign Minister also appreciated various other institutions and ministries that have helped the success of this repatriation.

In the future, for efforts to prevent the involvement of Indonesian citizens in the online scam network, Foreign Minister Sugiono appealed to people who want to work abroad not to be easily influenced by the lure of unclear promises and use official, legal and accountable routes.

It is known, this online scam case in Myawaddy is not the first case handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Online scam cases have occurred since 2020.

Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs succeeded in repatriating 92 people in 2024 and 174 people in January February 2025. So far, more than 6,800 cases have been handled and spread across 10 destination countries.