TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Nusron Wahid, the chief of theAgncy for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), has asked the Foreign Ministry to urge destination countries for Indonesia migrant workers to draft regulation for employers. BNP2TKI recorded many destination countries for migrant workers did not punish employers who abused the workers.

“We have to protect our citizens,” said Nusron on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi claimed she had called on destination countries to issue regulations for employers. Retno reiterated that the government would only send migrant workers to countries that already had regulations that protected the workers.

Retno added the destination countries must also have an MoU with the Indonesian government regarding the workers' legal guarantee. "That’s our most basic regulation to protect Indonesian workers,” he said.

Manpower Minister Hanif Dahkiri has pledged to review the rule of law about law enforcement on employers in destination countries. “We will see the regulation, especially in the Middle East,” he said.

According to Hanif, there are many countries bereft of any regulation against employers who abused migrant workers. “If the law enforcement is not good, it’s like we’re sending migrant workers to where the problems are,” he said.

MITRA TARIGAN