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Govt’s bolder steps expected as hundreds of workers still locked up
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Rescued: Seven female illegal migrant workers from West Nusa Tenggara have been rescued from a alleged human trafficking attempt during an operation on March 29. (Courtesy of the West Nusa Tenggara Police/File)
T
he West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) administration is still waiting for progress in the Foreign Ministry’s efforts to release 300 Indonesian citizens seeking to work in Saudi Arabia, who have been locked up in Riyadh, the largest city in the country.
“Yes, it’s been reported that there are 300 Indonesians, most of them from NTB. This case is being handled by the Foreign Ministry via the Legal Aid and Protection of Indonesian Nationals Overseas Directorate. We are still waiting for the results,” NTB Manpower Agency head Wildan said on Friday.
It was strongly suspected that the 300 Indonesians departed for Saudi Arabia without taking proper procedures. “This is because the moratorium on the dispatch of Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia and Middle Eastern countries is still in effect. But because they are NTB residents, we are striving to ensure their safe return,” said Wildan, adding his agency also had not yet received reports from families of the victims.
(Read also: 300 Indonesians reportedly locked up in Saudi Arabia)
Meanwhile, Mataram-chapter Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement, Protection and Monitoring Agency (BP3TKI) head Mucharom Ashadi said his agency had coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh to resolve the case.
"It has deployed a task force to check the accuracy of the information and investigate it. So, we are now waiting for the result of its works."
Mucharom said the BP3TKI Mataram did not have any data on the 300 Indonesians locked up in Riyadh, especially those who hailed from NTB.
“We have often told people to not be easily lured by recruiters who promise departures to Middle East through illegal means,” he said. (mrc/ebf)
