Kerap Sea Route Utilized By Trafficking In Persons, Bakamla Helps TIP Task Force Supervise Movement

Bakamla personnel while studying CGBT. (ANTARAHO-Humas Bakamla)

JAKARTA - Head of the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) Vice Admiral (Laksdya) TNI Aan Kurnia said his agency assisted the work of the Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) Task Force led by the National Police, especially to oversee movement in the marine area.

The reason is that the practice of trafficking in people, which is a cross-border crime, often uses sea lanes to send TIP victims abroad.

"Especially for Bakamla, we supervise those from the sea. This is a priority for the government as well. Why? Because, almost every day someone dies from the victims of the TIP. So (the victim) is sent outside, the return is deceased," said the Head of Bakamla during a press conference at the ASEAN Coast Guard forum 2023 in Jakarta, Wednesday, June 7, which was confiscated by Antara.

Therefore, Aan emphasized that Bakamla has tightened supervision of shipping movements and activities in Indonesian marine areas to prevent people from being traded abroad but disguised as migrant workers.

This is a lot of (victims) who were lied to. There are approximately 8,000 or how many, or 4 million. I forgot that, yes (they were sent illegally). So, almost half of them are not official. This is the truf of employers abroad. Finally, the salary is cut, scared and so on so they cannot sue according to the legal workers. This must be addressed. This is our homework together," said Aan Kurnia.

National Police Chief General Pol. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on Monday 5 June formed a TIP Task Force starting from the central level to the ranks of the Regional Police. The TIP Task Force was led by the Deputy Head of the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency Inspector General Pol. Asep Edi Suheri.

Inspector General Asep Edi was assisted by the deputy chairman of the TIP Task Force Inspector General Pol. Hary Sudwijanto, who currently serves as Kakorbinmas Baharkam Polri.

The formation of the TIP Task Force is a follow-up to the order of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo during a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on May 31.

During the meeting, the Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) Benny Rhamdani reported to the President that the TIP had lost his life in the last 3 years to 1,990 people.

BP2MI in the same period also handled cases of deportation of 94,000 Indonesian migrant workers from abroad. Of that number, BP2MI estimates 90 percent of them will be illegally dispatched or by syndicates of illegal migrant workers placement.