Member Of Commission I Of The House Of Representatives Ask Bareskrim To Investigate The Masterminds Of Human Trafficking To The Middle East

A number of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) were recorded upon arrival at PLBN Entikong, West Kalimantan Wednesday, October 16, 2019. (Antara-Agus A)

JAKARTA - DPR Commission I member Christina Aryani asked the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit to dig deeper into the masterminds after arresting two networks of criminal acts of human trafficking (TPPO) to the Middle East.

Christina said that the disclosure of the practice of sending illegal Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) to the Middle East had direct evidence that a human trafficking syndicate in Indonesia really existed.

"This step is what the public has been waiting for, because there is an impression that law enforcement on human trafficking involving syndicates has been going nowhere and is difficult to reveal. Today, we have good news that the National Police have been able to uncover it," Christina said in a statement, Tuesday, April 4, as reported by Antara.

She also appreciated the implementation of the article used by the National Police, namely referring to Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Crime of human trafficking and Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI).

Christina hopes that the arrest of the two networks of human trafficking perpetrators can develop and reveal the actors behind the scenes who have been difficult to reach.

She considered that the government's strong commitment to eradicating human trafficking was absolutely necessary, as the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD had raised the human trafficking case into the public sphere.

Therefore, she continued, the arrest of the human trafficking perpetrator network could be the right moment to show the Government's seriousness in eradicating the practice of human trafficking in the country.

"Just open all networks, how they work, who are the actors. All of that must be clearly disclosed," she said.

She also asked all parties to participate in overseeing the course of law enforcement on human trafficking in a number of countries in the Middle East region until it is complete, so that the perpetrators receive the harshest punishment.

"What we also hope is that we can immediately stop the action of human trafficking with its various modes. Trafficking in humans is a serious crime that we must fight together," said Christina.

Previously, the Dittipidum Bareskrim Polri uncovered human trafficking by arresting perpetrators from two networks that sent PMI illegally to a number of countries in the Middle East region.

Based on these disclosures, investigators from the Dittipidum Bareskrim Polri arrested six suspects from the two networks revealed in a press statement at the Bareskrim Polri Building, Jakarta, Tuesday, April 3

Director of General Crimes (Dittipidum) Bareskrim Polri Brigadier General Pol. Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro said the first network was Indonesia-Amman-Jordan-Saudi Arabia, with the main suspects ZA and SA. The network has been operating since 2015, it is estimated that it has sent 1,000 PMI illegally. The second network is the Indonesia-Türkiye-Abu Dhabi network with the suspect OP.