RI workers reported missing abroad

JAKARTA: Eight Indonesian migrant workers from Central Java have been reported missing abroad, said the head of the Central Java office of the Manpower Ministry, Eddy Joko Pramono, on Wednesday.

""We have lost contact with them ... They have just gone missing and we do not know their whereabouts,"" Eddy said as quoted by detik.com news portal.

He said nine Central Javanese workers were reported missing last year. ""Four of them were eventually found, but the whereabouts of the remaining five remain a mystery until now.""

Eddy cited several possible explanations for the disappearances, including problems between the workers and their employers, occupational changes or involvement in acts of crime.

""Most of the (missing worker) cases were uncovered in Malaysia, probably because a greater number of Indonesians work there. Others were uncovered in Middle East countries,"" he said. -- JP