TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-The Embassy of Indonesia in Damascus repatriated 33 Indonesian workers. They were sent back to Indonesia via Damascus International Airport.

In a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, October 13, Protocol Counselor of the Embassy of Indonesia in Damascus A.M. Sidqi said “the repatriation of the 33 workers is the first to be done straight from Damascus International Airport since 2011.”

Sidqi says Damascus International Airport was previously shut down due to a conflict, so during the last four years, repatriation activities of Indonesian workers from Syria were done through various routes via Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

The repatriation of workers from Syria in the 265-wave were escorted to ensure that all process will go smoothly, especially during the immigration check on various transit points.

The Embassy of Indonesia in Damascus also coordinates with the Indonesian workers Protection and Indonesian Legal Entities Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Criminal Investigation of Indonesian Police to smoothen the delivery of the workers to their hometown.

Sidqi mentioned the repatriation of 33 Indonesian workers have added the number of the previous repatriation to 11,988 workers from Syria in 265-waves since the civil war in 2011.

Indonesian Ambassador for Syria Djoko Harjanto said the primary mission of the embassy is to provide protection and repatriate Indonesian workers back to Indonesia. Since September 2011, the government of Indonesia have halted and prohibited to send workers to Syria.

The government has established that Indonesian workers entering Syria post moratorium since September 2011, are the victims of Human Trafficking Violation.

BISNIS.COM