TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Foreign Affairs Ministry said that 188 Indonesians were exploited while working for casinos and online gambling companies in Cambodia. The Indonesian citizens were initially persuaded to work in a start-up company as customer service with a large salary.

The ministry's Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and BHI, Judha Nugraha, said that 117 cases were found in 2021. In the first three months of 2022, there were 71 cases. That number, he said, could only be the tip of an iceberg.

The Indonesians came from various provinces including North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Jakarta, and West Java. They departed from Jakarta to Phnom Penh via Singapore.

"After arriving in Cambodia, they were exploited to work in various companies or online gambling, among others, to market cryptocurrency investment products with unfounded claims of the intent of investment and potential scams," Judha said in a press conference on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

According to Judha, the Cambodian companies used tactics such as debt, communication restrictions, long work hours, and violence.

The Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Foreign Affairs Ministry coordinated with the Cambodian government to save the Indonesian citizens. The Ministry also cooperates with the Police's Criminal Investigation Unit. They flew to Cambodia to identify victims, and study testimonies and evidence.

Authorities have managed to repatriate 162 people to Indonesia, and five more will be repatriated next week.

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Daniel Ahmad