The target is to attract tourists."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has denied the allegation that the number of Chinese migrant workers in Indonesia now runs into tens of million.
"Many have said the number of Chinese migrant workers in Indonesia is 10 million, if not 20 million. When did they actually reach that figure? According to our calculation, the number is 21 thousand. That is very small," he said while addressing the declaration of national apprenticeship movement in the Karawang International Industrial Estate in West Java on Friday.
He expressed the hope that people would not be swayed by a misleading issue as it may lead to an uproar in the country.
There is a small possibility that Chinese nationals work in Indonesia due to large difference between salaries in the two countries, he noted.
"It is unlikely for workers from Hong Kong, the United States, and Europe to find employment in Indonesia because salaries there are higher than in our country," he explained.
The president reminded that Indonesia has set itself a target to attract more Chinese tourists.
"The target is to attract tourists. If any of them works illegally, the immigration authorities and the Manpower Ministry will take measures against them. But logically, it is unlikely for them to find jobs here because their salaries in China are twice or thrice as much as ours," he stressed.
He pointed out that the Foreign Ministry will evaluate the visa-waiver privilege offered to several countries.
If any tourist is found abusing the free visa policy, the immigration authorities and the police must investigate the case, he reiterated.
"As a policy has been in place for some time, it will no doubt be evaluated to see if it is dangerous, not productive, or whether it should be scrapped and who must be allowed a waiver from visa requirements," he underlined.
(Reported by Bayu Prasetyo/Uu.S012/KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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