“We will check later. The issue of foreign workers employed using tourist visas is the next matter we will address. We will start with sudden inspections and then we hope it raises national awareness,” Manpower Minister Yassierli said in Jakarta on Monday.
He informed that his ministry needs to conduct inspections, while also preparing the status and competencies of labor inspectors in the provinces.
He said that the task of inspection and sudden visits is being carried out by Deputy Minister of Manpower, Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, and it has proved quite effective, including in uncovering a case of employers withholding workers’ diplomas.
“I have heard a lot of reports, and what we are doing now is tightening regulations regarding foreign worker permits,” he added.
One of the provinces that has tightened the supervision of foreign workers to prevent the potential misuse of tourist visas for illegal employment is Yogyakarta city.
Deputy Mayor of Yogyakarta, Wawan Harmawan, has instructed the local Office of Social Affairs, Manpower, and Transmigration to conduct inspections and ensure that all foreign worker recruitment procedures comply with existing regulations.
“Do not let what happened in other provinces happen here, where people arrive as tourists but engage in other activities,” he said.
According to Harmawan, the high number of foreign tourist visits to Yogyakarta, which reaches hundreds of thousands annually, also creates potential for visa misuse.
Therefore, he sees the need for tighter supervision of foreign visitors.
He cited common patterns such as foreign tourists arriving from areas like Bali and then staying in tourist areas in Yogyakarta, such as Sosrowijayan or Prawirotaman, but engaging in activities outside the scope of their visa permits.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Arie Novarina
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