KP2MI Records 5,000 Riau Islands In Cambodia, Majority Of Visa Tourists Are Not Working

The Riau Islands BP3MI facilitated the repatriation of illegal PMIs to their home areas through Hang Nadim Airport, Batam, in October 2025. BETWEEN THE Riau Islands ANTARA/HO-BP3MI

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) through the Riau Islands Province Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Service Center (BP3MI Kepri) noted that Indonesians who work in Cambodia generally use tourist or tourist visit visas.

"From the results of our communication with the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, there are around 5,000 Riau Islands residents in Cambodia. Almost all of them use tourism documents, not work," said Head of BP3MI Ripri Kombes Pol Imam Riyadi after a dialogue with RRI Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, Wednesday, which was confiscated by Antara.

The growing mode, he said, was that thousands of Riau Islands residents with Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) initially departed through official ports with the aim of traveling to neighboring Malaysia or Thailand, not directly to Cambodia.

When they arrived in Malaysia or Thailand, they were waiting for international syndicates to be brought to Cambodia. Moreover, from Thailand, they can use the land route to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar directly.

"They (PMI) were taken in a special car all black and dark, so they couldn't see the path that was passed, they didn't even see each other's friends," said Imam.

Kombes Imam said that the Riau Islands residents who worked illegally in Cambodia were victims of criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO) who were recruited by international network syndicates to be employed as online gambling admins or online fraud actors (scammers) operating in the country.

Therefore, he invited all relevant stakeholders to tighten the control system for the departure of Riau Islands residents abroad to prevent TIP victims.

"Initial detection measures need to be improved, by providing education when there are residents who want to go abroad, including exploring their destinations to destination countries," he said.

He also added that the Riau Islands BP3MI collaborated with relevant stakeholders to participate in special guidance while at the same time providing understanding to residents who had been victims of illegal PMIs in Cambodia so as not to repeat similar actions in the future.

His party regretted that some Riau Islands residents had been sent back to Indonesia, instead they left abroad to work illegally by hiding and tricking the officers.

"In October 2025, 39 Riau Islands residents were deported from Myanmar and Cambodia, plus four people were repatriated from Thailand," said Kombes Imam.