Government Firmly Protects Indonesian Citizens Victims of TPPO, 400 People Repatriated from Myanmar
The Indonesian government has demonstrated its commitment to protecting Indonesian citizens who are victims of human trafficking. A total of 400 Indonesian citizens were successfully repatriated from Myawaddy City, Myanmar, which is a conflict area.
Quoted from the press release of the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, the 400 Indonesian citizens consisted of 313 men and 87 women, six of whom were pregnant. The victims were transported to Maesot City, Thailand, via the 2nd Friendship Bridge before finally being flown back to Indonesia.
“During the process, the Indonesian Citizen Protection Team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Indonesian Embassies in Bangkok and Yangon and the National Police Hubinter conducted identification, escorted, and accompanied them from Myawaddy to their homeland,” said the statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, quoted on Tuesday (18/3).
After going through a health screening process and the national referral mechanism, they traveled overland for 10 hours using nine buses to Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok.
From there, they were flown by chartered plane to Indonesia and arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Tuesday (18/3) at 09.00 WIB.
Minister for Empowerment of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI), Abdul Kadir, emphasized that the government will provide assistance to the victims upon their arrival in Indonesia.
“We will handle all those who return today, we will escort them home,” he said.
Furthermore, Abdul stated that all victims will be recorded and undergo mental health and psychological examinations before undergoing a social reintegration program.
This repatriation effort was led directly by the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, Rachmat Budiman, with support from Thai and Myanmar authorities.
Meanwhile, there are still 154 Indonesian citizens awaiting repatriation from Myawaddy. They are scheduled to be ferried to Maesot on Tuesday (19/3) before arriving in Jakarta the following day.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures that all Indonesian citizens who have arrived in Indonesia will be repatriated to their respective regions of origin with coordination across ministries and institutions.
“Next, the Indonesian citizens will undergo an interview process including rehabilitation and reintegration. The Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment will coordinate across ministries/institutions for the process from arrival to repatriation to their respective regions of origin,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement, Saturday (3/16).
