PMI Victims Of Captivity In Cambodia Arrive In Indonesia, Will Be Picked Up Back To Palembang

PMI from Palembang returned to Indonesia. (Between)

JAKARTA - An Indonesian Migrant Worker (PMI) from Palembang, South Sumatra (Sumsel), who was a victim of confinement in Cambodia has arrived in the country.

Head of the South Sumatra Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI), Sri Haryanti, said the victim, named Kurnia Sari (45), a resident of Alang-alang Lebar Subdistrict, Palembang City, was ready to be picked up in Jakarta.

"Of the 40 PMIs who returned safe and sound, including Kurnia Sari. Currently her position is in Jakarta, all that's left to do is pick up," said Sri Haryanti in Palembang, South Sumatra, Wednesday, August 10.

Kurnia Sari is one of hundreds of PMIs who were reported to have been victims of confinement when they were illegally employed at a fraudulent investment company or scammer in Cambodia.

The workers were rescued in stages by the Cambodian police in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh from being held at a scammer company domiciled in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Saturday, July 30.

Based on information from the South Sumatra BP3MI, Sri explained that the hundreds of PMIs were lured by salaries worth US$1,000-1,500, or around Rp.15-Rp22.5 million. However, in reality, they only earn half of their $800 per month salary.

Sri hopes that in the future the local government will participate in facilitating the repatriation of the citizens who have become victims to reunite with parents and children at home.

Meanwhile, the victim's sister named Suci (37) said Kurnia Sari was the second of eight children. Kurnia Sari is married with a child who has just graduated from junior high school and is currently studying at a boarding school.

Suci said that Sari often went to work abroad and finally said goodbye to being an operator of a scammer company in Cambodia in mid-July 2022. However, a few days later, Kurnia Sari called Suci and told her about her bitter experience working in Cambodia.

The bitter experience started from disproportionate wages and being forced to work full day to end in confinement.

"In the telephone (conversation), Sari said she was held captive for about a week. Then from there our communication was cut off. We can only hope that Sari can return home," he said.

An Indonesian Migrant Worker (PMI) from Palembang, South Sumatra, has returned to the country and arrived in Jakarta to be ready to be picked up, said Head of the South Sumatra Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI) Sri Haryanti.

The PMI from Palembang, who was also a victim of confinement in Cambodia, was named Kurnia Sari (45), a resident of Alang-alang Lebar District, Palembang City.

"Of the 40 PMIs who returned safe and sound, including Kurnia Sari. Currently her position is in Jakarta, all that's left to do is pick up," Sri Haryanti said in Palembang, Wednesday.

Kurnia Sari is one of hundreds of PMIs who were reported to have been victims of confinement when they were illegally employed at a fraudulent investment company or scammer in Cambodia.

The workers were rescued gradually by the Cambodian police in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh from being held at a scammer company domiciled in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Saturday (30/7).

Based on information from the South Sumatra BP3MI, Sri explained that the hundreds of PMIs were lured by salaries worth US$1,000-1,500, or around Rp.15-Rp22.5 million. However, in reality, they only earn half of their $800 per month salary.

Sri hopes that in the future the local government will participate in facilitating the repatriation of the citizens who have become victims to reunite with parents and children at home.

Meanwhile, the victim's sister named Suci (37) said Kurnia Sari was the second of eight children. Kurnia Sari is married with a child who has just graduated from junior high school and is currently studying at a boarding school.

Suci said that Sari often went to work abroad and finally said goodbye to being an operator of a scammer company in Cambodia in mid-July 2022. However, a few days later, Kurnia Sari called Suci and told her about her bitter experience working in Cambodia.

The bitter experience started from disproportionate wages and being forced to work full day to end in confinement.

"In the telephone (conversation), Sari said she was held captive for about a week. Then from there our communication was cut off. We can only hope that Sari can return home," he said.