"However, there are some cases that have yet to be resolved."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government, through its Foreign Affairs Ministry, has stated that it has repatriated as many as 1,928 citizens from conflict-torn Syria so far.

According to the ministry`s official press statement, received by ANTARA News here on Friday, the repatriation efforts reflected the ministry`s awareness of its responsibility to protect Indonesian citizens abroad.

Of the total number of Indonesian citizens repatriated, 42 are from the Indonesian Embassy, 80 are students, and the rest 1,806 are migrant workers.

The number of Indonesian citizens repatriated by the government reached 1,582 by the end of last year.

Besides, the Indonesian Embassy has assisted in the handling of 2,540 complaint cases lodged by Indonesian citizens in Syria, of which 225 cases are related to their salary.

Of the reported cases, 82 percent have been resolved and the processing of the rest is under way.

The Indonesian embassy in Syria has also been facing many difficulties in resolving such cases, particularly because many employers are fleeing the country for the sake of their security.

However, the Indonesian Embassy has been coordinating with relevant parties in Syria and has hired two local lawyers since July 2012 to resolve the migrant worker`s salary-related issues, among other things.

Since the crisis in Syria broke out, the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus prepared three shelters across the provinces of Damascus, Lattakia and Aleppo.

An average of about 15-20 migrant workers have been arriving at the Embassy in Damascus every day to take shelter.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wahib Abdul Jawad said: "Since the Syrian crisis began, the number of migrant worker`s cases handled by the Embassy in Damascus has been increasing every year."

"However, there are some cases that have yet to be resolved. That is due to the constraints related to the local bureaucracy and the current situation in the country," he explained.

Since the beginning of this year, the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus has repatriated 302 citizens seven students and 295 migrant workers in three batches through Lebanon.

As of now, there are 436 migrant workers who have taken refuge at the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus. Of them, 212 will be repatriated through Lebanon.

"They`re just waiting for their Lebanon visa," Wahib said.
(Tz.A050/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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