“Our service teams at airport lounges, international ports and border posts have been placed on standby. This is a direct instruction from the minister to ensure returning migrant workers receive optimal assistance,” said Director of Complaints, Mediation, and Advocacy Services for Corporate Employers at the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Ministry Mangiring Hasoloan Sinaga in Tangerang on Saturday.
He said officers had been deployed at several strategic locations, including Indonesian migrant worker service posts, airport lounges designated for migrant workers, international seaports and cross-border checkpoints.
According to him, field officers will assist newly arrived workers with various needs, from arrival procedures to support if problems occur during their journeys.
“They will help migrant workers throughout the return process and provide assistance if any travel-related difficulties arise,” he said.
The ministry has deployed personnel from 23 regional migrant worker protection service centers across Indonesia.
“They are on standby to provide services, including assistance for migrant workers who experience losses or encounter problems during travel,” Sinaga added.
The government has not yet issued an official estimate of the number of migrant workers expected to return during this year’s Eid homecoming period.
Such projections are typically compiled by the ministry’s repatriation directorate.
However, Sinaga said the number of returning workers could rise compared with last year.
About 14,000 Indonesian migrant workers returned home during the previous Eid holiday period.
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“With the current dynamics in the Middle East, there is a possibility that the number of returning migrant workers could increase,” he said.
He noted that most workers who travel home during Eid usually come from countries that host large numbers of Indonesian migrant workers.
The annual holiday period often sees thousands of workers returning to their hometowns across the archipelago.
Responding to reports of possible airspace closures in parts of the Middle East, Sinaga said authorities had received no reports of Indonesian migrant workers being stranded.
“Reports from relevant ministries indicate that no migrant workers have been stranded so far,” he said.
He added that two recent flights from Ankara had brought home Indonesian migrant workers affected by regional developments.
“All of them have been facilitated to return safely,” he said.
The ministry said it will continue monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant agencies to ensure the safe and smooth return of migrant workers during the Eid holiday travel period.
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Translator: Azmi Syamsul, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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