2.5m Indonesian set to work abroad by 2000<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government expects at least 2.5 million
\nIndonesians to be employed overseas by year 2000, contributing
\nabout US$12.5 billion in foreign exchange a year, a minister
\nsays.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully the rising demand for our workers will help reduce
\nunemployment at home,\" said Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief in
\na written statement delivered by Gilbert Pasaribu, an official of
\nthe East Timor office of manpower, during the commemoration of
\nthe 49th anniversary of the ministry in Dili.<\/p>\n
He was quoted by Antara as saying the income should also
\nstimulate the rural economy as most of the workers abroad come
\nfrom Indonesia's rural areas.<\/p>\n
Currently, about 800,000 Indonesians, mostly unskilled, work
\nlegally overseas, most in Malaysia and Australia. Those working
\nillegally are believed to number in the hundreds of thousands.<\/p>\n
One of the problems to solve soon is how to improve quality of
\nworkers' training so that they become more skillful and can
\ncommand better legal protection, Latief said.<\/p>\n
Latief, however, also pointed out that along with the increase
\nin foreign investment here, the number of foreign workers
\nemployed here has also been rising. More than 57,000 foreigners
\nare currently working here, receiving a combined income total of
\nUS$24 billion a year.<\/p>\n
\"The government will soon audit professionals working here to
\nestablish the capacities and qualities that Indonesian workers
\nneed to compete with foreign workers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Following harsh criticism of the poor protection and abuse of
\nIndonesian workers abroad, the government decided to phase out
\nthe sending of menial workers into informal sectors and increase
\nthe number of skilled people able to find work in better-paid,
\nbetter-protected formal sectors.<\/p>\n
AFP reported from Singapore yesterday that a Singaporean woman
\npleaded guilty in a local court to hitting her Indonesian maid
\nand throwing a cup of hot water in the maid's face. She could be
\njailed up to five years.<\/p>\n
Tan Choon Bee, 40, struck Machyati Machyito with a feather
\nduster, pushed her with a metal stool and pinched her right thigh
\nat her home last December. Machyati reportedly forgot to follow
\nher employer's instructions on how to do the laundry.<\/p>\n
The court will hear a mitigation plea from Tan before
\nsentencing. She faces up to five years in prison and a fine.<\/p>\n
Indonesians and Filipinos make up the bulk of the estimated
\n80,000 foreign domestic helpers employed in Singapore. (swe)<\/p>",
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