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Illegal Indonesian workers brought home from China
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Hundreds of Indonesian migrant found to have been working illegally arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on June 1 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They were among 244 Indonesians repatriated by the Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. (Antara/Lucky R)
T
he Indonesian Embassy in Beijing has repatriated dozens of Indonesians found working illegally in several areas in China, a diplomat said on Friday.
The Indonesians' illegal status was revealed following the arrest of a major agent for the distribution of migrant workers in Shanghai recently, Indonesian ambassador to China and Mongolia Soegeng Rahardjo said. Local officials subsequently found evidence of migrant workers illegally working in areas including Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shanxi, Liaoning, Xian and Shandong.
"Most of them were given passports by the West Jakarta Immigration Office. The placement of illegal migrant workers in China would have been prevented if the immigration were more careful in selecting the applicants who get passports," Soegeng said as quoted by Antara news agency, without giving further details on the number of people repatriated.
The migrant workers were employed in factories or in houses to nurse children and elders, and were promised salaries of 4,000 yuan (US$ 604) per month by the agent . Several women, meanwhile, were also tricked into working as prostitutes in spas or karaoke parlors.
Preventive measures should begin in Indonesia with stricter issuance of passports, Soegen said, adding that careful overseeing of applicant profiles and their destinations would help lower the number of Indonesian migrant workers illegally working abroad.
The Indonesian embassy in Beijing repatriated 90 illegal Indonesian migrant workers last year, and a further 27 Indonesians so far this year. (afr/rin)
