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Mahfud questions Riau police over human trafficking
The senior minister is visiting Batam over a report from a civic group alleging that local officials, including the deputy chief of the Batam intelligence office, are involved in allowing human trafficking to flourish.
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Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD (right) and Financial Transactions Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) chairman Ivan Yustiavandana attend a meeting with House of Representatives Commission III overseeing law and human rights on March 29, 2023 in Senayan, Jakarta. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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oordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD is questioning the National Police over their handling of a human trafficking case in Riau Islands province in which they have yet to detain any suspects.
Mahfud said he was appalled that the two suspects who had been named still remained free.
“How come they haven't been arrested yet? Instead, they can continue their activities as human traffickers. I will question the National Police," Mahfud MD said on Thursday on the sidelines of a public discussion themed “Universal War Against the Syndicate for Indonesian Migrant Workers” in Batam, the Riau Islands.
According to Mahfud, the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI) has also questioned Riau Police chief Insp. Gen. Tabana Bangun about their slow progress on similar cases.
"BP2MI head Benny Rhamdani has also met with the Riau Police chief to ask about [the police’s] handling of human trafficking cases that have not been [solved]," the senior minister said.
Mahfud’s visit to Batam follows a report stating that although the government has clear regulations and laws on human trafficking, networks existed in Batam that involved government offices and private companies.
Before his visit, the senior minister held a meeting in March with a civil society organization comprising Chrisanctus Paschalis Saturnus and Petrus Selestinus, the leaders of local Catholic churches, which is keeping tabs on human trafficking in Batam.
The group claims that the activity is backed by the Batam deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Col. Bambang Panji Priyanggodo.
In response to the report, Mahfud formed a team to eradicate human trafficking in Batam and to investigate those involved in assisting, abetting or otherwise allowing the criminal activity to continue unchecked.
Paschal had sent a letter to BIN chief Budi Gunawan asking him to reprimand Bambang for allegedly intervening in a human trafficking case in October 2022 by ordering the suspects to be released. Bambang later reported Paschal to the Riau Islands Police for defamation.
According to BP2MI chief Benny, of the 9 million Indonesian migrant workers currently abroad, only 4.6 million possess formal documents and are registered, while the rest are working illegally, and the agency has no clear records of either their occupation or domicile abroad.
Benny said the agency had organized the “Universal War” discussion as a massive public awareness campaign in its bid to fight human trafficking as a crime against humanity.
"This universal war wants to encourage and build awareness as a form of prevention so there will be no more human trafficking," he said.
"These illegal [migrant] workers are vulnerable to violence and nonprocedural termination of employment". (dre)
