Ministry of Foreign Affairs Facilitates the Return of the First Wave of Indonesian Citizens from Cambodia

JAKARTA - The Directorate of Protecting Indonesian Citizens (Dit. PWNI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh has facilitated the arrival of 36 (thirty-six) Indonesian Citizens / Indonesian Migrant Workers in Trouble (WNI / PMIB) in the online scam sector from Cambodia.

The Indonesian citizens arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten on Friday (30/1) at 20:10 WIB, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its statement as quoted by Saturday (31/1).

Also present at the arrival process at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, were representatives from the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, KP2MI, Bareskrim Polri and airport authorities.

Upon arrival in the country, all Indonesian citizens were immediately handed over to the relevant agencies for further handling and assistance in accordance with the applicable procedures.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this repatriation was the first wave of Indonesian citizens repatriated from Cambodia in 2026.

As previously reported, at least 2,752 Indonesian citizens have reported to the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh to request assistance in returning to Indonesia until January 29, 2026 at 18:30 Phnom Penh Time.

The Indonesian citizens came in waves since January 16, in line with the law enforcement efforts carried out by the Cambodian authorities against online scam activities.

Previously, the Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia Santo Darmosumarto said that as the Cambodian authorities increased their efforts to tackle online scams in recent years, the efforts were intensified since January 16.

"Recently, there have been arrests of several masterminds and main managers of scam centers," said Ambassador Santo in an online press statement some time ago.

With the arrest, many scam centers closed down their operations and foreign nationals working at these places were allowed to leave.

"Many are looking for a mechanism to return to their country, including Indonesian citizens," explained Ambassador Santo, regarding the surge in Indonesian citizens who came to report to the Indonesian Embassy.

"This is massive, not just Indonesia. There are (workers from scam centers) from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Pakistan, India, even from Japan, South Korea, to unpredictable countries like Turkey," he said.

The ambassador said that this scam center is located in Phnom Penh, around Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot to Mondulkiri which is closer to Vietnam.

The Ambassador of Santo confirmed that the surge in Indonesian citizens who reported this was not a new recruit, even some of them had repeatedly come to Cambodia.

"This is not because of new recruits, but those who have been there, they were raided in terms of it. That's why there are many. Some are only a month in Cambodia, some have been there for three months, some for a year, two years, three years. Some have just come to Cambodia, some have come twice and this morning, some have come to Cambodia three times," said the Indonesian Ambassador.

For comparison, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh said that throughout last year, it handled 5,006 cases of Indonesian citizens.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono said that serving Indonesian citizens (WNI) who left the online fraud centers (scam centers) in Cambodia was a priority for the ministry he led, handing over the status of whether they were victims of Human Trafficking (TPPO) or not to the authorities.

Speaking after a meeting with Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, Foreign Minister Sugiono said he had instructed the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh "to conduct data collection, verification of affected Indonesian citizens, because many of them have left their jobs after there was a decision from the Cambodian government to take action against online scam activities."

"We are still data. Regarding law enforcement, we will leave it to law enforcement," said the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday (27/1).

"What is important for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to be able to verify the Indonesian citizens who are affected, provide services to them, consular services to them," he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs again urges the public to always follow the applicable laws and regulations when working abroad, and to comply with all local immigration regulations.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor the development of the situation in Cambodia and coordinate with the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh to ensure that the repatriation of all Indonesian citizens can take place safely, quickly, and coordinated.