The meeting being organized until August 20, is being participated in by 300 people consisting of Indonesian diasporas, regional government`s officials, academicians, journalists and NGO activists, Deputy Foreign Minister Wardana said here on Sunday.
They would discuss a grand design of policy on the protection of Indonesians abroad, mapping of problems and solutions to the problems, he explained.
The coordinating meeting is also expected to create an integrated database system on Indonesians living overseas in order to improve services for them.
There are around 4.22 million Indonesians living abroad and some of them are facing problems such as overstay, human trafficking, and capital punishment.
Currently, a number of Indonesian Diaspora Networks have been established in 21 countries such as the United States, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Yemen, Kuwait and Sweden.
The first congress of the Indonesian Diasporas was held in Los Angeles, California, the US, on July 6-8, 2012, which was attended by around 2,056 people. The theme of the first congress of Indonesian Diaspora was "Harmony in Diversity".
The Indonesian Diaspora in the US is more than 150 thousand people, and the largest number is believed to be in the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Madagascar, Suriname, and South Africa.
They consist of various professions and activities, such as high-skilled workers, informal sector workers, politicians, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, innovators, contractors, oil and gas experts, ship crew, athletes, students, and religious figures.
The Indonesian Government currently is taking concrete steps to develop a strong partnership with the Indonesian Diaspora, and initiating the process of easing visa procedures, including by issuing special visas for Indonesian Diaspora members who are no longer Indonesian citizens.
(Fardah Assegaf/Andi Abdussalam)
T.SYS/B/F001/A/A014) 18-08-2013 12:30:05
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
