Immigration Office Says 37 Foreign Nationals Working at the West Aceh Gold Mine Are Prospective Workers

Jamaluddin, Head of the Meulaboh Non-TPI Immigration Office, West Aceh Regency. (ANTARA/Teuku Dedi Iskandar)

MEULABOH - The Meulaboh Non-Checkpoint Immigration Office (TPI), Aceh, stated that 37 foreign nationals (WNA) working at the PT Magellanic Garuda Kencana gold mine in West Aceh Regency are prospective workers.

"Most of these 37 foreign nationals have C18 status, although some already have temporary stay permits (KITAS)," said Jamaluddin, Head of the Meulaboh Non-TPI Immigration Office, in Meulaboh, as quoted by Antara, Thursday, August 28.

Jamaluddin explained that the C18 visa is a type of visit visa for foreign nationals coming to Indonesia for a short-term probationary period.

This visa allows temporary stay in Indonesia for 90 days without the right to be officially employed and cannot be extended.

According to him, the implementation of the C18 visa aims to improve control over the entry of foreign workers and prevent potential abuse by companies. With this regulation, the government hopes to create a more transparent and effective foreign worker recruitment system.

Most of the foreign nationals working at the gold mine in the East Woyla area are from China, Vietnam, and South Korea. "This means that the foreign workers reported working at the West Aceh gold mine are temporary interns," said Jamaluddin.

Meanwhile, the West Aceh Regency Government is investigating allegations of environmental pollution caused by gold dredging activities in the Woyla River. West Aceh Regent Tarmizi stated that environmental inspections are necessary because mining activities are feared to damage the environment and harm the community.

Tarmizi emphasized that the regional government supports the presence of investors, but that investment should create jobs for local residents and increase regional revenue (PAD), not employ foreign workers.

"If investors come to West Aceh and employ foreigners, what's the point?" Tarmizi said.

For your information, the use of foreign workers is regulated by several national regulations, including Law Number 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower, Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation, Government Regulation Number 34 of 2021 concerning the Use of Foreign Workers, and Regulation of the Minister of Manpower Number 8 of 2021 concerning Procedures for the Use of Foreign Workers.