TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Consulate General in Kuching repatriated nine Indonesian citizens and migrant workers who were stranded in Sarawak, Malaysia. The repatriation occurred through the Tebedu-Entikong border on March 4, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an online statement.

Among those repatriated were four men and five women, including a woman who is five months pregnant. These individuals had faced various workplace issues, including unpaid wages, deception by job placement agents, contracts not matching the actual job, poor working conditions, and health problems.

This effort follows a series of deportations facilitated by the Consulate General. On February 27, 100 Indonesian citizens and migrant workers, including 83 men and 17 women, with 3 minors, were deported from the Bekenu Immigration Detention Depot in Miri, Sarawak. Out of this group, 90 had violated Malaysian immigration laws, and 10 had served sentences for drug-related offenses.

Additionally, on February 29, the Consulate assisted 47 individuals from the Semuja Immigration Detention Depot. This group was composed of 40 men and 7 women, all of whom had also violated immigration regulations.

The repatriated and deported individuals were handed over in good health to the Indonesian Citizen Repatriation Task Force in Entikong for their return to their home regions.

From January to March 4, 2024, a total of 578 problematic citizens and migrants were deported, and 24 were repatriated through the consulate's program, highlighting the ongoing efforts to assist Indonesian citizens abroad facing difficulties.

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