According to Marsudi, online gambling is a transnational crime. Hence, cooperation with the government is deemed necessary, especially in countries in the Southeast Asian region.
"The victims are not only Indonesian citizens but also citizens of countries in Southeast Asia and even the Chinese as well," she remarked when met at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday.
The minister affirmed that her side is tasked with protecting Indonesian citizens abroad, including from online gambling crimes.
This task has been carried out for the last few years, including efforts made to repatriate Indonesian citizens who are victims of online gambling in Cambodia, Marsudi stated.
"I have met with the Cambodian Police, the Cambodian home affairs minister, and the Cambodian foreign affairs minister to exempt the Indonesian citizens. The Cambodian government was really helpful to repatriate our citizens who are victims of online gambling," she stated.
Related news: Task Force to apply three steps to eradicate online gambling: minister
The formation of the Task Force for Online Gambling Eradication is a follow-up to President Joko Widodo's order in a limited meeting on April 18.
On a separate occasion, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security, Hadi Tjahjanto, explained that the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force would involve all ministries and institutions, segregated on the basis of law enforcement, regulation of cyberspace, and supervision of financial transactions.
"For law enforcement, we will involve the National Police, the Prosecutor's Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since we have to cooperate with foreign countries. We can perhaps make an MoU," he stated.
Tjahjanto underscored the importance of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's role since several online gambling sites and pages have servers abroad, including bookies.
As a first step, the task force is targeting countries in the Southeast Asian region, he stated.
Related news: Three values applied in online gambling eradication: Deputy Minister
Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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