Government Returns 26 Indonesian Citizens Escape From Myanmar, Minister Of P2MI: Don't Immediately Believe Job Offers Abroad

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has repatriated 26 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who are workers of online crime networks or online scams in Myanmar. The illegal workers fled to Thailand after a military operation took place in Myanmar.

Minister of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Mukhtarudin said this repatriation was the result of coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Thailand, and the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) which is part of the Task Force for the Crime of Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

"So, because there was a military operation in Myanmar, which they worked on with the scammers, they finally ran to Thailand. Well, now we have overcome it. We are working with, of course, in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our Indonesian Embassy who is there, and BP2MI is certainly there, there is support there at the TIP Task Force," said Muktarudin at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Wednesday, October 29.

Mukhtarudin emphasized that Myanmar is not one of the official destination countries for the placement of Indonesian migrant workers. Therefore, the public is advised not to be easily tempted by work offers abroad that do not go through official channels.

"To the public, there is media, don't be tempted, with appeals or offers to work abroad, especially countries that are not placement countries. Offers to see social media should not be immediately responded to and trusted," he said.

Mukhtarudin said that the public could check the list of official placement countries through the SISKOP2MI information system to find out which countries were the placement of migrant workers, along with official distribution companies. He stressed that the government would continue to repatriate Indonesian citizens who departed illegally to work abroad.

"In principle, those who departed illegally, we sent them home, yes, we sent them home. They didn't want to go home, so we forced them to go home," he added.

For information, the Directorate for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon and the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, repatriated 26 Indonesian citizens from the Thailand-Myanmar border and arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday at around 06.00 WIB.

All Indonesian citizens were immediately dispatched to the relevant agencies for handling. One of the Indonesian citizens is a Troubled Indonesian Migrant Worker (PMIB) and is suspected of recruiting.

"The person concerned is temporarily accommodated in the Banten BP3MI shelter to undergo examination by the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police," said the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Meanwhile, 25 other Indonesian citizens/PMIB will be placed in the Bambu Apus RPTC belonging to the Ministry of Social Affairs for further investigation assessment processes, consisting of 22 men and four women.