MATARAM - The bodies of seven Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) who were victims of a sinking ship were returned from Malaysia on Tuesday, said an official from the Technical Implementation Unit of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency.
"We received information from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the plan for the second phase of repatriation of seven PMI bodies from NTB today", said Head of the Technical Implementation Unit of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency NTB, Abri Danar Prabawa, in Mataram, quoted by Antara on Tuesday, January 4.
The Technical Implementation Unit of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency NTB received information from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Johor Bahru regarding the shipwreck of a PMI carrier at Tanjung Balau Beach, Kota Tinggi Johor, on December 15, 2021.
The ship is suspected of carrying 50 Indonesian citizens and 21 of them died. Among the victims of the shipwreck who died were 14 PMI from NTB.
Abri Danar said that the bodies of seven PMIs from NTB were scheduled to be returned on Tuesday by sea from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, to Batam, Indonesia, using a ship owned by the Indonesian water police. Furthermore, the PMI's body is planned to be flown from Batam to NTB on Wednesday, January 5.
"The dense queue of cargo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has made the Indonesian government choose the fastest option to immediately repatriate PMI's body to Indonesia", said Abri Danar.
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He said the bodies of PMI from NTB who were repatriated from Malaysia this time included the bodies of workers from Central Lombok Regency and East Lombok Regency.
The Technical Implementation Unit of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency NTB coordinates with the Manpower and Transmigration Offices at the provincial and district levels in handling the repatriation of the bodies of PMI victims of sinking ships.
"We need to coordinate with the offices in each district to anticipate the schedule for the return of the bodies at the same time", said Abri Danar.
The bodies of seven other PMIs from NTB who were victims of a ship accident in Malaysia were repatriated on December 24 and 25, 2021. The seven workers also came from Central Lombok and East Lombok Regencies.
Abri Danar said the government was still investigating the syndicate that illegally dispatched Indonesian workers to Malaysia. According to him, the police have arrested several people suspected of being involved in the crime.
"Currently the NTB Regional Police have collected supporting data to take legal action against the parties involved in the departure process", he said.
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