A total of 102,000 Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong have registered as voters for the upcoming election, an Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) official has said.

'€œWe'€™ve seen an increase in the number of registered voters for this year'€™s election; 102,000, up from 5,000 in 2009,'€ PPLN chairman Arief Wahyudi said.

He was speaking during an event to introduce the election process and voting procedures to Indonesian citizens jointly held by the Communications and Information Ministry and the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Hong Kong at the Ammar Mosque in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, on Saturday.

Arief said that although the number of voters registered to vote in Hong Kong in the 2014 poll had increased significantly from the previous election, the committee would strive for greater actual participation in the election among the Indonesian community. To that end, the PPLN had created initiatives that were aimed at achieving a higher turnout in the election.

'€œOf the total registered voters, the number of valid votes in the 2009 election was only 1,500, or less than a third,'€ Arief said.

Election day in Hong Kong will be held on March 30, which falls on a Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate. The General Elections Commission (KPU) has scheduled March 30 to April 6 for overseas voters to cast their votes. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region authorities have provided Victoria Park for use as a polling place.

"Most of the around 150,000 Indonesian citizens living in Hong Kong are migrant workers '€“ the majority of whom are women and more than 90 percent of them are domestic workers. Sunday is given as their weekly day off so they may use it to cast their votes,'€ Arief said.

The ministry'€™s director general for public information and communication, Freddy H. Tulung, said Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong would be the first Indonesians to cast their ballots in the legislative election, which was set to take place on April 9 nationally.

'€œHopefully, more Indonesian people in Hong Kong will participate in the election,'€ he said.

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