Most of the workers were prevented from departing from Batam Center International Port and Citra Tritunas Habour Bay Port, with their numbers recorded at 1,355 and 1,211, respectively, ICT head of Batam Immigration Ritus Rahmadhana informed here on Saturday.
Between January and March, at least 149 citizens were also barred from leaving for overseas from Sekupang International Port.
Rahmadhana said that the supervision of Indonesian citizens seeking to travel abroad starts from the stage of the processing of immigration documents.
He said officers pay attention to the purpose of the visit stated by an applicant at the time of submitting the documents for a passport.
Immigration officers can deduce any potential misuse of passports, such as for working abroad illegally, early, he added.
"Officers already have their way of identifying (any misuse of passports) so that suspected citizens who want to work abroad illegally can be prevented," he said.
During the pre-departure inspection, the immigration office questions each passenger about their reasons for traveling abroad.
If immigration officers find indications that the travelers are illegal migrant workers, they do not allow them to proceed with their travel plans, he informed.
"In-depth interviews will be conducted for every prospective passenger who is suspected of being illegal PMI. This step will be optimized. It is expected that there will be no more non-procedural PMIs, especially from Batam," he said.
On a separate occasion, the Manpower Ministry said it expected the Law and Human Rights Ministry, through the Directorate General of Immigration, to carry out strict supervision of border crossings and passport applications to prevent illegal placements of migrant workers.
Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor said on Thursday (March 30) that non-procedural placements of migrant workers can lead to human trafficking.
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Translator: Jessica H, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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