the BP3MI Head of Banten, Budi Novijanto, confirmed that the seven workers—five men and two women—were suspected to be attempting to migrate to Greece, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia illegally.
He said that they were intercepted as part of a cross-sectoral collaboration to prevent human trafficking and human smuggling, which often begins with non-procedural travel.
“Now they all have been brought to the migrant workers shelter to get education and protection,” Novijanto informed.
The seven workers will be provided education so that they do not fall for false promises of overseas jobs and get trapped in human smuggling, he said.
Currently, his agency is working with Immigration and Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police to further investigate the parties or networks behind the illegal attempt to send the seven workers abroad.
The agency will also question the seven workers in custody to gain more insights into the case.
In the same statement, head of information technology and immigration communication at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Muhamad Iman Paski, informed that the workers were posing as tourists and held tourist visas.
“Upon further investigation, they admitted they were planning to work abroad in countries such as Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Cambodia. Some of them had previously worked overseas, but were attempting to go again without going through official procedures,” he said.
According to the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office, at least 1,249 Indonesians suspected to be unregistered migrant workers were intercepted at the airport in the period from January to August 3, 2025.
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Translator: Azmi Syamsul Ma'arif, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
