It Took 6 Hours To Evacuate I Gusti Ayu Vira, PMI From Bali Who Was Seriously Ill In Turkey, If Possible, Immediately Flown To Indonesia

Screenshot - Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhamad Iqbal speaking at a press briefing/Via ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara is following up on the report of I Gusti Ayu Vira Wijayantari, an Indonesian migrant worker (PMI) who reported that he was a victim of exploitation in Turkey.

Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said the Indonesian Embassy had succeeded in finding Vira's whereabouts in Alanya, eastern Turkey.

"Now the Indonesian Embassy is at the stage of completing immigration administration because the person concerned is not registered in the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara's Self-Care Report application, his whereabouts were not previously detected by members of the Indonesian Citizen Protection Task Force in Alanya," said Iqbal via text message, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, August 16. .

Iqbal added that the PMI had been working without a valid work permit in Turkey since 2001 through an agent in Indonesia. The Indonesian Embassy is said to be holding two sending agents in Indonesia accountable.

Vira reportedly suffered from lung and stomach pain, which forced her to quit her job in July this year.

"If you look at the history of this disease, the disease has been around for a long time. If only he worked legally according to procedures that went through a medical test, the disease should have been caught before leaving," said Iqbal.

"Because of its illegal status, the person concerned is also not covered by health insurance in Turkey," he said, adding.

As a handling measure, Vira will first be taken to the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara to facilitate monitoring. To get to Ankara from Alanya, it takes six hours by road.

"If the results of the doctor's examination later allow the person concerned to be flown (fit to fly), we will prioritize being immediately repatriated and treated in Indonesia. Because with his current illegal status, he is very vulnerable to being here," said Iqbal.

In Turkey, there are about three thousand Indonesian workers registered on the Indonesian Citizens Care Report application. Most of the workers from Indonesia work as therapists in spas.

Iqbal said that every week there were always cases of Indonesian migrant workers detected by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, with the number tending to increase from year to year.

"Almost all workers with problems are those who work illegally and do not report themselves online through the Peduli WNI application that has been prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2017," he said.