Returning migrant workers wait at the arrival terminal of Soekarno-Hatta airport (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

The new terminal for migrant workers returning from overseas will be more humane than the notorious Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, an official said.

Head of the National Authority for the Placement and Protection of Indonesia Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI), Jumhur Hidayat, said the new terminal, called Terminal 4, opened in February and was located in Selapanjang, Tangerang.

"The terminal is very humane, it is very good and it is a terminal dedicated to migrant workers," Jumhur said.

The new terminal, built at a cost of Rp 60 billion, is equipped with 100 beds for workers needing to stay overnight.

"I want this move to be not only physical," Junhur said.

"The move from Terminal 3 to 4 will also be a change of image and a change of culture."

Migrant workers were from 1999 forced to go through Terminal 3 for processing -- the building was an old airplane hangar and was never equipped with air conditioning.

On arrival at the old hangar, returning migrant workers were the taken directly home via transportation provided by the Manpower Ministry.

In addition, a ministerial decree in 2004 saw families no longer allowed to pick up their relatives from Terminal 3. The government said the decree was an attempt to rid the terminal of scalpers searching for newly acquired migrant wages.

The director of non-governmental organization Migrant Care, Anis Hidayah, said he had continued to receive complaints however about illegal charges and marked-up transportation fees, despite the government's efforts.

One report said airport officials often forced in-transit migrant workers using the international terminal or Terminal 2 to go through to Terminal 3, causing workers to miss flights.

Migrant worker activists had previously said Terminal 3 was discriminatory and exploited workers. They argued for fair treatment and for migrant workers to be treated equally, including allowing family members to greet them on their return home.

But Jumhur said the 2004 decree had been designed to protect workers and could not be changed. He said his office would oversee management of the new terminal and promised it would be run professionally.

-- Prodita Sabarini and Emmy Fitri

Popular

Palm oil expansion in Papua raises eyebrow

Pro-government parties open to scrapping direct regional elections

Businesses project 2026 growth at no more than 5.4%