Jokowi Ensures Government Efforts To Evacuate 20 Indonesian Citizens Victims Of TIP In Myanmar

President Joko Widodo gave a press statement to reporters in Jakarta, Thursday (4/5/2023). ANTARA/Gilang Galiartha

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo stated that the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to evacuate 20 Indonesian migrant workers from Myanmar who are suspected of being victims of criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO).

"We are trying to bring and evacuate them out. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tried and is trying to evacuate," said President Jokowi when giving a press statement in Sarinah, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, May 4.

The President said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to communicate with the Myanmar authorities so that Indonesian citizens can be repatriated.

Jokowi said the 20 Indonesian citizens experienced fraud because they were not placed in the promised jobs. "This is a fraud, they are taken to a place they don't want," said the President.

Based on the chronology, on May 2, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) reported that recruiters with the initials A and P had placed at least 20 Indonesian migrant workers suspected of being victims of TIP in Myanmar, to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police.

The two recruiters illegally place Indonesian workers with the mode of offering them jobs as computer operators in a stock exchange company in Thailand.

Migrant workers are lured with a large salary of around Rp. 8 million-Rp. 10 million per month and housing facilities and free food.

Recruiters finance the accommodation for the departure of the victims such as making passports, plane tickets, and other necessities provided that the loan and repayment of the loan money by cutting salaries after the migrant workers have worked and received salaries.

Dozens of Indonesian migrant workers were dispatched to Myanmar by water from Bangkok, Thailand.

However, when they arrived at work, they were held captive by the company and guarded by armed and military-clad people, who confiscated the cellphones of the victims.

They employed the victims forcibly for online scams for 17 hours of work per day, treating the victims rudely and with acts of physical and psychological violence, even beatings and spectrum.