Migrant Care called on the Indonesian government on Monday to avoid a heavy-handed approach to health security toward repatriating Indonesian migrant workers (TKI), and instead to maintain protection of the workers’ rights upon their arrival.

The labor rights advocacy group raised its call shortly after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo urged authorities to tighten monitoring over several COVID-19 clusters in the country, including migrant workers who were returning to the archipelago ahead of Idul Fitri.

Migrant Care executive director Wahyu Susilo said he appreciated the President’s concern for migrant workers amid the nation’s concerted efforts to mitigate the epidemic and its impacts.

“However, Migrant Care urges the government to protect the rights of TKI and their families as regulated in Law No. 18/2017 [on migrant workers] and the International Conve...