Thousands Of PMI Shipments Become Victims Of Permendag 36/2023, BP2MI Asks For New Rules Education

Head of BP2MI Benny Rhamdani when met after the release of PMI placement to South Korea in Jakarta, Monday (10/6/2024) (ANTARA/Prisca Triferna)

JAKARTA - Head of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) Benny Rhamdani highlighted that many goods sent by Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) were stuck for months in storage warehouses due to previous import regulations.

Of the 60 thousand data held by Customs and Excise related to these items, around 14,000 can be verified by BP2MI as a shipment from PMI which is officially placed. A difference of 46 thousand, he continued, is expected to be sent by Indonesian Workers (TKI) not following official procedures.

The Customs and Excise itself then asked for data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) regarding the non-procedural PMIs, which required registration of migrant workers not in accordance with the procedure to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' system.

"But that's for the future, don't apply it and tie PMI's things, which are actually victims of Permendag 36/2023," he said when met in Jakarta, Monday, June 10, which was confiscated by Antara.

He also admitted that he would continue to disseminate information regarding the implementation of the rules for goods sent by PMI accompanied by the completion of goods that are still being held back until now.

"With the new Permendag, let's do education, socialize to PMI, for the orderly delivery of goods carried out by PMI, data collection on PMIs who send goods and those who are unprocedural abroad, so that the process of releasing goods from Customs and Excise is getting faster," he said.

He explained that the socialization step was needed considering that it is now taking effect again in the relaxation of the delivery of TKI goods, after previously experiencing issues due to the implementation of the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 36 of 2023.

The regulation was then amended by the issuance of the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 7 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 concerning Import Policy and Regulation.

In this regulation, the government again provides tax relaxation per year of 1,500 US dollars for procedural PMI and 500 US dollars for non-procedural PMI or unofficially placed.

Benny said that in a meeting with the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) today, he has submitted a request for special discretion to resolve the issue of PMI goods sent which is still being held back until now.