20 deceived over job offers

JAKARTA (JP): Twenty people deceived by a local labor supplier promising them jobs in Australia have asked immigration officials for help to reclaim their passports from the company.

A spokesman for the directorate general of immigration, Mursanudin Ghani, said on Thursday that his office suspected the firm's president, identified as Taufiq Abdad, of misusing the applicants' passports.

"The job seekers came to us to ask for help in getting Taufiq to return their passports," Ghani said, giving no further explanation.

A day earlier, immigration enforcement chief Haryo Sasongko quoted the victims as saying that each had paid between AU$500 (US$294) and AU$2,500 to Taufiq's PT Total Usaha Putra Indonesia on the strength of jobs they had been offered in Australia.

"Taufiq promised the job seekers employment in various companies in Australia such as at doll company, a perfume maker and a casino," Sasongko said in a statement.

Six weeks after handing over their money, the people became suspicious of the company, he said.

None of them have been given their passports back, Sasongko added.

Sasongko said the job seekers got the information about the opportunities for employment from the company's secretary, identified as Dini.

At least 60 people registered an interest in vacancies advertised by the company.

"At least 20 of the applicants have been flown to Australia," Sasongko quoted one of the job seekers, Wita, as saying.

Sasongko said that the case had been reported to the police. It remains unclear whether the workers to-be have also reported the fraud to the Ministry of Manpower.

He said his office had sent the company three letters seeking clarification of the allegations but had yet to receive a reply.

Immigration officials sent on an impromptu visit to the company's office in Bapindo Plaza on Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta found the premises unoccupied, he added. (jun)