Police Prevent 98 Indonesian Citizens From Becoming Victims Of TIP, Majority Will Be Sent To Conflict Countries And Nests Of Online Scams

Head Of Sub-Directorate III Dittipid PPA And PPO Bareskrim Polri Kombes Amingga Primastito/PHOTO IST

JAKARTA - Bareskrim Polri and the Special Class I Immigration office of Soekarno-Hatta Airport thwarted the efforts of 98 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were about to go to work abroad illegally or non-procedurally.

Prevention measures are taken in anticipation that they are sent to conflict-prone areas.

"This prevention effort is being carried out so that Indonesian citizens do not become victims of conflicts such as in the Middle East, which is currently a war," said Head of Sub-Directorate III of the PPA Dittipid and PPO Bareskrim Polri Kombes Amingga Primastito to reporters, Thursday, June 26.

Dozens of Indonesian citizens were mostly recruited by people known personally, such as relatives or neighbors, who formed a covert recruitment network.

They were promised jobs as household assistants, restaurant workers in the Middle East, as well as staff in the online gambling and fraud industry (online scams) in Myanmar and Cambodia.

"This condition is very concerning, especially in destination countries such as the Middle East region where there is currently a conflict due to war, and on the Thai border with Cambodia due to regional disputes," he said.

All Indonesian citizens who are prevented from leaving will undergo an assessment process to trace the recruitment network. After that, they will be handed over to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) to be given socialization and education related to safe migration.

"After the process, they will be handed over to BP2MI to be given socialization and education related to the safe migration process in order to get protection," Amingga said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Special Class I Immigration Office, Johanes Fanny Satria Cahya Aprianto, said that his party thwarted the departure efforts of 98 non-procedural PMI candidates to various countries, including Yemen, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Malaysia.

"All of them are suspected of leaving without official procedures set by the government," said Fanny.

According to him, these PMI candidates use the mode of pretending to be tourists, students, or worship pilgrims to pass the examination.

Many of them disguise themselves as travelers or tourists, worship and study. Identification like this is not easy because it is done covertly," said Johanes.