Diplomacy Was Tough, 7 Indonesian Migrant Workers Finally Returned Home After A Year Of Being Abandoned In Africa

JAKARTA - The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Yaounde, Cameroon, helped repatriate seven Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who had been adrift for more than a year in the interior of Equatorial Guinea, Africa, into the country via Nsimalen Airport on Monday.

In a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Yaounde in Jakarta, quoted via Antara, Tuesday, September 2, it was stated that the Indonesian Ambassador to Cameroon Agung Cahaya Sumirat released the seven PMIs after they underwent a period of recovery at the Indonesian Embassy.

Agung advised PMI to be careful in accepting job offers from the Central African region, including the timber sector, because the foreign labor protection system in this area is not yet strong.

He appealed to Indonesian citizens who want to work abroad to take advantage of the official route of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) to guarantee their rights.

According to the Indonesian Embassy, the seven PMIs initially worked at a local timber company, but their legality documents were not taken care of and were not paid according to the agreement.

The process of evacuating from the interior of Equatorial Guinea to Cameroon is not easy. Recruitment agents are difficult to reach and are reluctant to take responsibility, before finally allowing Indonesian citizens to return home. The Indonesian Embassy team led by Second Secretary Anindita Aji Pratama was also banned from crossing Guinea Equatorially by local border officers.

Negotiations for two days have been successfully carried out through a diplomatic approach to Equatorial Guinea. The repatriation of PMI involves cooperation between the Indonesian Embassy in Yaounde and the Madiun and Magetan District Governments, as well as the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) in financing visas, accommodation, consumption, and plane tickets.

The day before the commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, the seven PMIs arrived at the Indonesian Embassy in Yaounde and were greeted directly by the Ambassador Agung. One of the PMIs, Suprianto, admitted that he was touched and grateful.

"Alhamdulillah, we are healthy and safe to arrive at the Indonesian Embassy and I am happy to be able to participate in the RI Anniversary ceremony. While at the Indonesian Embassy, we really felt the warmth of attention and concern, as if we felt the feel of the house again even though it was still far from our homeland," he said.