Departures Of Dozens Of Illegal PMI Candidates For NTT To Malaysia Thwarted By Police

A number of prospective migrant workers were secured at the Tenau Port of Kupang. BETWEEN/Ho-Humas Polda NTT

The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Regional Police thwarted the departure of 41 prospective illegal Indonesian migrant workers from NTT who were about to leave to work in Malaysia without conditions and complete documents.

The Head of Public Relations of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Police, Kombes Ariasandy, said 41 prospective illegal migrant workers consisted of 16 people who were thwarted in Kupang on Saturday (29/4) when they were about to board the KM Bukit Siguntang ship from Tenau Port, Kupang.

The rest were arrested at Lembata Harbor on Sunday (30/4) while heading to Nunukan, North Kalimantan and headed straight to Malaysia.

"After the arrest, the investigation process is underway to reveal who recruited the prospective migrant workers, so that it has only been announced at this time," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 2.

After thwarting the departure of the prospective migrant workers, the police then took them to the NTT Police Ditreskrimum office to take information and undergo an examination.

From the results of the examination, it turned out that there were about 26 prospective migrant workers who had boarded the Bukit Siguntang KM ship.

The NTT Regional Police then coordinated with the Lembata Police, so that when KM Bukit Sigungtang docked at Lembata Port. The 26 prospective migrant workers were immediately secured by local police officers on Sunday (30/4).

They were then returned to Kupang and picked up by the NTT Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office and the NTT Police Ditreskrimum for information.

After all the prospective illegal migrant workers gathered at the NTT Police, the police then continued their investigation and new evidence and information emerged that someone recruited dozens of migrant workers with the initials MM.

"So out of the 41 prospective migrant workers, two people were still brought in because they were 14 years old and another 17 years old from South Central Timor Regency (TTS)," he said.

Prospective migrant workers admitted that MM promised to pay Rp1 million if the prospective migrant workers wanted to leave and work at the Malaysian Borneo plantation company.

MM, who recruited prospective migrant workers, plans to bring from Kupang by ship to Nunukan, North Kalimantan, then Nunukan uses a speed boat to Tawau Sabah Malaysia without going through the Immigration checkpoint.

Currently, the police are still developing the case to reveal who recruited the prospective migrant workers.