Border Conflict, Government Prepares Non-Procedural PMI Evacuation From Cambodia

Illustration of Cambodian refugees (doc the Ministry of Information of the Ministry of Bomboja @Bernamed_radio)

BENGKULU - Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding conveyed mitigation steps for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) who were affected by the Cambodian-Thailand war.

"The Ministry of P2MI is making mitigation measures for workers in Cambodia, especially as a result of the war," said P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 29.

The first step, he said, was that the Ministry of P2MI coordinated intensely and had been carried out with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) "Mapping which ones are in a complicated, vulnerable state, we will immediately evacuate them," said Minister Karding.

The Ministry of P2MI, he said, is still trying to provide assistance for evacuation of workers who are Indonesian citizens (WNI) even though many of the workers in Cambodia actually departed not according to procedural procedures, not using work visas.

"Although I want to tell you, the workers in Cambodia are in the view of the Ministry of P2MI, all are non-procedural, because they departed without a work visa. Second, we do not have a state cooperation agreement in terms of placement," said Minister Karding.

However, according to him, as Indonesian citizens who work abroad, of course the state continues to do its best to provide protection to migrant workers.

"But what is called an Indonesian citizen and he works, we cannot be formalistic. Whatever it is our responsibility to protect us, we are there. We have taken these steps, but we are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Minister Karding.

According to him, the number of Indonesian citizens working in Cambodia is currently more than 80,000 people.

"There are more than 80 thousand people who work. If the population (WNI) in Cambodia) is more than 100 thousand Indonesians there," said P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding.