"There are 270 Indonesians in Myawaddy, Myanmar, whose repatriation we are working on," Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha stated in Tangerang, Banten, on Friday.
According to Nugraha, those Indonesian citizens do not only include victims but also perpetrators of online gambling and human trafficking.
He revealed that some of these Indonesian citizens had worked for two and a half years in the online gambling sector in the Philippines, Laos, and Myawaddy, Myanmar.
"There are also those who were offered jobs since they were still in Indonesia. Most of them were offered work in Thailand. When they arrived in Thailand, they were then sent to Myawaddy," he revealed.
Related news: Some 46 trafficked Indonesians repatriated, including ex-legislator
He affirmed that the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will soon conduct the evacuation process for 92 Indonesian citizens suspected of being victims of human trafficking in Myawaddy.
"There are 92 Indonesian citizens who are currently in the process of being repatriated to Indonesia," he remarked.
Of the 92 Indonesians, some are migrant workers who were later held captive and became victims of torture in Myawaddy.
As of February 2025, as many as 6,800 Indonesians are recorded to be involved in human trafficking syndicates and found to be working as online gambling workers. Based on records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 10 destination countries for work, including Myanmar.
Earlier, the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers affirmed that the government will continue diplomatic efforts for the repatriation of Indonesian migrant workers from Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Related news: Govt continues efforts to bring workers home from Myanmar
Translator: Azmi Syamsul, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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