VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

At least 43 Indonesians who reportedly fell prey to human-trafficking operations in the Middle Eastern countries were repatriated to Indonesia in November this year, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told journalists in Jakarta on Thursday.

“Forty of them were repatriated by the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, on November 27, 2020, while three others were sent back home by the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on November 30, 2020,” she informed.

Many Indonesians remain vulnerable to human-trafficking operations in the Middle East, with migrant workers frequently moving there to take up jobs as maids, in spite of the government’s moratorium policy, she said.

To deal with this problem, the Foreign Ministry is coordinating with the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) and the National Police to investigate those responsible for sending the Indonesian migrant workers to the Middle East, she added.

The Indonesian government has imposed a moratorium on sending of maids to the Middle East since 2015 in view of several cases of abuse and given the vulnerability of migrant workers in countries in the region.

However, several parties, including Migrant Care, have criticized the government's moratorium policy, arguing that it has triggered uncontrolled human-trafficking by syndicates, with many Indonesians falling victim to them.

According to Anis Hidayah, head of Migrant Care's Research Center, many Indonesians are continuing to head to the Middle East for work through unofficial or even illegal routes.

As a result, they cannot be monitored properly, which makes them prone to getting into trouble in their destination countries, Hidayah told ANTARA last year.

To resolve this problem, Hidayah suggested that the Indonesian government lift the moratorium and ensure they are well protected through sufficient protection instruments.

Transnational human-trafficking syndicates do not just pose a serious threat to Indonesians wanting to get employed as maids in the Middle East, but also those wanting to work in Malaysia.

In March this year, for instance, police in Riau province had thwarted an attempt by a transnational human-trafficking syndicate to smuggle 15 Indonesians and two Indian nationals to Malaysia through Rupat Island in Bengkalis district.

Members of the Malaysia-Indonesia-India syndicate tried to transport the 17 victims by speed boat through the waters of Sungai Cingam village in Rupat Island, Bengkalis district, Riau province, said Riau Police spokesperson Sen.Coms.Sunarto.

Police arrested five suspects -- identified as AM alias Ahmad, AR alias Abdul, KH alias Irul, HL alias Lina, and SP alias Pian -- who played different roles in the human-trafficking operation.

Ahmad served as the boat's skipper, while Abdul and Irul were crew members. Lina served as the recruiter and enticed the victims to travel to Malaysia by promising them high-wage jobs, while Pian coordinated the operation, said police.

The trafficking attempt came at a time when Indonesian and Malaysian authorities were busy battling the outbreak of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Antaranews)

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam, Ibnu Hadi, has received the Friendship Order from Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong for his “positive and active” contribution to encouraging and promoting the friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries.

On behalf of the Vietnamese government, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dzung presented the award to the Indonesian ambassador at the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on Thursday morning, the Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi said in a statement released on Thursday.

The Friendship Order is the second award Ibnu has received from the Vietnamese government during his remaining term in office. He had earlier received the Medal of Peace and Friendship Among Nations from the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) on November 24, 2020.

"In the past few years, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia in multi aspects have grown well," the embassy quoted Quoc Dzung as saying.

Trade between Indonesia and Vietnam rose to US$9.01 billion in 2019 from US$6.82 billion in 2017, according to official data.

Ibnu Hadi said 2020, the last year of his term in office, coincides with Vietnam's chairmanship of ASEAN, Indonesia's and Vietnam's non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and commemoration of 65 years of Indonesia-Vietnam diplomatic relations. (Antaranews)

Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia, Esam Abid Althagafi, met with Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister, Zainudin Amali, as part of efforts to seek support for his country's bid for hosting the 2030 Asian Games.

The Youth and Sports Ministry will coordinate with the Foreign Ministry to discuss Saudi's interest in hosting the 2030 Asian Games, Amali said in a press statement released on Thursday.

He further said he had advised the Saudi ambassador to hold talks with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Indonesia and other Asian countries.

"We want to help (Saudi Arabia) so support for its bid will become stronger. I hope that Saudi Arabia will hold talks with other countries about the matter," he said.

Ambassador Althagafi said he hoped for Indonesia's support for his country's bid for hosting the event.

"Hence, (I think) Indonesia will support Saudi Arabia's bid (to host the 2030 Asian Games). Thank you (the Youth and Sports Ministry) for the quick response so we can meet. We also have coordination with other countries," he said.

He said Saudi Arabia pays great attention to sports. Hence, cooperation between the two nations in the sports field can be expanded, he added.

"Saudi Arabia pays extraordinary attention to the development of sports. Thus, attention is expanded to be able to cooperate with friendship countries. We have decided to nominate for the host of 2030 Asian Games,” he said. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed the belief that the Indonesian economy has passed its lowest point and is moving toward recovery.

Several macroeconomic indicators have shown signs of growth, including the import of raw materials and capital goods to support the processing industry, he stated during an annual meeting of Bank Indonesia 2020 held virtually via videoconferencing here on Thursday.

The head of state also believed that Indonesia's trade surplus of US$8 billion in the third quarter of 2020 will contribute to maintaining the country's external economic resilience.

"Our economy contracted 5.32 percent in the second quarter and 3.49 percent in the third quarter. This means it has passed its lowest point and is moving toward a positive trend," he remarked.

Investors' confidence in the money market also continued to rise, as mirrored by the movement of the Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) and strengthening of the rupiah's exchange rate in recent weeks, he stated.

"From the standpoint of the capital and financial markets, the performance of the IHSG and the rupiah's exchange rate has risen to the tune of 5,522 and Rp14,050 per dollar respectively as of November 17, 2020. The improving performance of the IHSG was fueled by the rising index of sectoral stocks. The basic industry recorded the highest level of share index recovery after it plunged on March 24, 2020," he explained.

The positive momentum of the national economy must be maintained. However, while the economic recovery is underway, efforts to maintain public health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic must be prioritized, he stated.

"We must remain cautious and disciplined in following health protocols while not becoming inattentive. Stay alert for a second wave of (COVID-19) that will have a detrimental impact on our efforts and sacrifices," he emphasized.

Indonesia's count of active cases of COVID-19 currently stands at 12.72 percent, well below the global average of 28.04 percent. However, its recovery rate has reached 84.02 percent, well above the world average of 69.56 percent. (Antaranews)