Riau Police Thwarts 226 Illegal PMI Candidates Departure

Illustration of the "Stop TIP" campaign to reject trafficking in persons. BETWEEN PHOTOS/Kornelis Kaha/aa.

PeKANBARU - Riau Police and Polres in their ranks thwarted the departure of 226 illegal Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) from 27 cases with 15 suspects handled throughout January-July 2023.

"BP2MI appreciates the performance of the Riau Police and its ranks in eradicating illegal PMI placements in Riau. 27 cases have been uncovered," said Head of the Riau Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) Fanny Wahyu Kurniawan as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 15.

In his remarks at the award presentation to the Riau Police, Head of BP3MI Fanny WK said that the Riau area at the border is often a gap for syndicates crossing Indonesian citizens illegally to Malaysia, Singapore and other countries.

According to Fanny, of the 27 cases revealed by the Riau Police, Dumai City was the area most thwarted by the police in dispatching illegal PMIs, namely eight cases, followed by Bengkalis Regency and Meranti Islands Regency.

"Compared to last year, this number has increased since the end of the pandemic, so that many have worked for Malaysia illegally and were used by syndicates," continued Fanny.

Meanwhile, Riau Police Chief Inspector General Mohammad Iqbal said the award from BP2MI for him was a vitamin so that his staff could work even better in the future.

"The work of the National Police is not only to enforce the law, but also preventive and preemptive efforts. We carry out education in various regions," said Iqbal.

With hundreds of victims who failed to depart, it is proof that many people are not educated by choosing to work abroad illegally.

The Regional Police Chief did not want the ignorance of the community to be used by syndicates. Therefore, the Riau Police Chief ordered all his subordinates to educate the public.

"That's why I ask Dirbinmas, Dirlantas, all Police Chiefs to provide understanding and education. We also carry out maximum law enforcement, especially for syndicates. We order intelligence to detect syndicates, so that we can brush," concluded Iqbal.