"There must be special management because handling a migrant worker being held hostage in an area with conflict is not the same as handling a migrant worker staying in a safe area," Chief Secretary of BP2MI Rinardi said here on Monday.
Care must be taken while undertaking such a task considering that Myawaddy in Myanmar is an area marked by conflict, he added.
He made the statement in response to efforts to rescue illegal migrant workers who have allegedly fallen victim to a human trafficking scheme.
The board will need to collaborate with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, as well as the one in Thailand in order to extract the workers without fueling conflict with some people in those areas, he pointed out.
The handling of migrant workers needs to be carried out in two parts—one when they are overseas and one after they have returned to Indonesia, he said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the embassy are the state's representatives, which will follow up with the migrant workers, as the two entities are the closest in terms of proximity to them, Rinardi explained.
The ministry and embassy are pursuing extensive coordination so that they always have information on victims, he noted.
Rinardi also said that the ministry, the embassy, and BP2MI will monitor social media as well as take reports from people about Indonesians in Myanmar or other countries so that they can address any issues immediately.
"Our embassy in Myanmar, that one in Yangon, it is their responsibility to take in and rescue (migrant workers) so that nothing (terrible) happens to them because they could be taken hostage in area of conflicts," he added.
After the migrant workers land in Indonesia, the board and its stakeholders will ensure that the sick or injured ones receive treatment before the workers are sent to their hometowns, Rinardi said.
He informed that all workers and the bodies of those who have died will be escorted back to where they came from by his administration so as to ensure their safe return. The state will cover the expenses.
According to Rinardi, the cases of migrant workers who forgo procedures to work in Myanmar serve as a lesson for people on the importance of knowing which countries are eligible for legal migrant worker placements.
He urged all those seeking to work overseas to not give away their passports to random people, which could allow irresponsible people to exploit them.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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