Prevent TIP, 98 Indonesian Citizens Intercepted Before Sending Overseas

Illustration of human trafficking (ANTARA)

TANGERANG - Bareskrim Polri in collaboration with the Special Class I Immigration office of Soekarno-Hatta Airport to prevent 98 Indonesian citizens (WNI) from leaving to work abroad illegally or non-procedurally.

Head of Sub-Directorate III of the Directorate of PPA/PPO Bareskrim Polri Kombes Amingga Primastito said this prevention was part of an effort to overcome the criminal act of trafficking in persons (TPPO).

"This prevention effort is being carried out so that Indonesian citizens do not become victims of conflicts such as in the Middle East, which is currently a war," Amingga said in his statement, Wednesday, June 25.

Amingga added, in several cases his party found Indonesian citizens to be victims of TIP. The modes vary, such as being recruited to work as household assistants, restaurants, to workers in the online gambling industry and scams in Cambodian countries.

"Most of the prospective Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) were recruited by people they knew personally, even neighbors or relatives. This scheme has formed a fairly wide network of covert recruitment," he said.

"This condition is very concerning, especially in destination countries such as Cambodia and the Middle East region, there is currently a conflict," Amingga continued.

The National Police is committed to protecting and tackling prospective Indonesian migrant workers from becoming victims of TIP.

The Indonesian citizens will then undergo an assessment process, including to uncover the network of recruiters involved.

"After the process, they will be handed over to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) to be sent home and given protection," Amingga explained.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office, Johanes Fanny Satria Cahya Aprianto, said that during the period from June 1 to 25, 2025, his party prevented the departure of 98 prospective Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who would work abroad non-procedurally.

The Indonesian citizens are planned to be dispatched to a number of countries, such as Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, and Malaysia. "All of them are suspected of leaving without official procedures set by the government," said Fanny.

The mode used is as if they departed independently or were facilitated by relatives and acquaintances who had already been abroad. "The identification process of these non-procedural PMI candidates is not easy, because many of them disguise themselves as travelers or tourists," he explained.