Early, on Wednesday, Bakamla had detained 47 Indonesian migrant workers, who had attempted to enter the country through the illegal routeJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) detained 47 Indonesian migrant workers for illegal entry into the territory from Malaysia through the illegal port in Nongsa waters, Mata Ikan Bay, Batam, 2 a.m. local time, Wednesday.
"Early, on Wednesday, Bakamla had detained 47 Indonesian migrant workers, who had attempted to enter the country through the illegal route," Bakamla Head Vice Admiral Aan Kurnia noted in a statement here on Wednesday.
The agency's patrolling personnel arrested the migrant workers during its Cross-Border Operation. They are currently detained at Bakamla's West Maritime Zone Fleet Base in Batam.
On the basis of preliminary investigation, most workers are from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, while some others are from Aceh and Cilacap in Central Java.
The authority has conducted health checkups on the workers and none of them were found to be symptomatic with COVID-19 nor was their body temperature recorded above average.
Kurnia noted that the migrant workers will be handed over to local medical and quarantine workers to conduct further testing in accordance with the health protocol set by the government.
"If there are any indications, they will be quarantined for 14 days before they can return to their home towns," he remarked.
The government has worked jointly with the Malaysian authority as a precautionary measure against the flow of migrant workers through illegal ports amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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Translator: Syaiful Hakim, Sri Haryati
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