"(Placement in) Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are trending for the last two years, but we want to remind (migrant workers) that the three countries are not the destinations for their placement," BP2MI Head Benny Rhamdani stated here, Thursday.
Hence, any deployment of migrant workers to the three countries is illegal, he cautioned.
"We can see those, who departed after being lured by high salaries, now regret it. They are now protesting because they receive nothing from what they promised. They are confined, and their travel documents are held by those who take them there, by the syndicates," the agency head remarked.
Rhamdani said that thousands of Indonesian nationals, including some from North Sulawesi, have been repatriated from the three countries after encountering issues while working there.
"Be cautious of job offers in Laos and Myanmar because the actual work will be for online gambling. Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are not (migrant workers') placement destinations," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the agency head affirmed that the government is still working to rescue 20 Indonesian nationals working illegally in Myanmar and currently trapped there.
"This country is outstanding because it still upholds the principle that the safety of the people must be the country's supreme law. When a resident is implicated by an issue overseas, despite the following probe finds them departing illegally, the government still takes over to rescue them," Rhamdani explained.
He noted that several efforts will be taken to rescue Indonesians in Myanmar, including notifying the local authority, evacuating the nationals, and placing them at the Indonesian Embassy's shelter.
"Their repatriation process is funded by the government, and once they arrive in Indonesia, BP2MI will take over the rest," the agency head remarked.
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Translator: Karel A Polakitan, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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