Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir said during a press briefing here on Wednesday that Marsudi will be in Malaysia from March 15 to 17.
"The main purpose of the visit to these two places is to boost the protection of Indonesian citizens overseas, especially in Malaysia," Nasir stated.
Marsudi was scheduled to meet local leaders of Penang and Johor Bahru as well as visit several centers of migrant workers in the two regions.
Based on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Twitter account, Marsudi on Wednesday had a discussion with Indonesian workers and the management of the KLK Plantation in Ladang Pelam, Kedah, Malaysia.
Moreover, the minister will launch several innovations to be applied in the Consulate General (KJRI) in Penang and Johor Bahru to improve services, such as a tracking system for passport application and cashless service system for consular service, for the protection of Indonesians.
Around 1.4 million registered Indonesian live in Malaysia.
In Penang, there are around 80 thousand Indonesians who, most of them, are employed in oil palm plantations or as industry manufacturers, Nasir revealed.
Meanwhile around 347 thousand Indonesians live in Johor Bahru.
What makes Johor Bahru unique is that the Indonesian governments representative in Johor Bahru every year facilitates around 7 thousand Indonesians to return home, Nasir stated.
"We can see that in Malaysia, there are a lot of Indonesians facing legal problems. On an average, the two KJRIs provide assistance to those having problems with the employment," he noted.
Also, the KJRIs provide assistance to Indonesian citizens who are facing legal problems in connection with drug abuse, murder, and other crimes, including those who are involved in human trafficking cases.
The Indonesian government has set three strategies on the protection of its citizens overseas, namely prevention, early detection, and immediate response.
"The minister will encourage these three strategies during her visit to the two places," Nasir revealed.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
