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View all search resultsGovernment warns overseas job seekers after Myanmar hostage case
Two Indonesian women are believed to be held by scam operators in Myanmar, prompting the Foreign Ministry to renew its warning against looking for jobs abroad through unofficial channels
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Indonesian migrant workers repatriated from Myanmar waits for airport transfer upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Feb. 28, 2025. Eighty-four Indonesian migrant workers are repatriated from Myanmar through Thailand after they were found of working in illegal cyber scam centers in ThaiMyawaddy, myanmar. (Antara/Putra M. Akbar)
T
he Foreign Ministry has urged people seeking work abroad to exercise caution amid an ongoing investigation into a report that two Indonesian women are being held for a ransom of Rp 200 million (US$11,151) by online scam operators in Myanmar.
A viral video of the two women, identified by Indonesian media as Ayu Elsih and Susi, shows the pair with their hands bound by zip ties and pleading for help to return home.
The ministry’s Citizen Protection Director Heni Hamidah said the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon had sent a diplomatic note to Myanmar authorities the day after receiving a report about the women on July 15, requesting assistance in locating and rescuing them.
Heni said the ministry was also in contact with the women's families to gather information that might have a bearing on the search.
"The Foreign Ministry will continue coordinating with Myanmar authorities as well as relevant ministries and agencies in Indonesia and will provide updates as soon as new information becomes available," she said in a statement on Monday.
"This case is a reminder of the high risks Indonesian nationals face when seeking employment through [unofficial] channels in Southeast Asia, especially in the online scam sector," she added.
Ayu Elsih has been identified as a resident of Agam regency in West Sumatra, according to Jupriyadi, provincial head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Service Center (BP3MI).
