2.5m Indonesian set to work abroad by 2000

2.5m Indonesian set to work abroad by 2000

JAKARTA (JP): The government expects at least 2.5 million
Indonesians to be employed overseas by year 2000, contributing
about US$12.5 billion in foreign exchange a year, a minister
says.

"Hopefully the rising demand for our workers will help reduce
unemployment at home," said Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief in
a written statement delivered by Gilbert Pasaribu, an official of
the East Timor office of manpower, during the commemoration of
the 49th anniversary of the ministry in Dili.

He was quoted by Antara as saying the income should also
stimulate the rural economy as most of the workers abroad come
from Indonesia's rural areas.

Currently, about 800,000 Indonesians, mostly unskilled, work
legally overseas, most in Malaysia and Australia. Those working
illegally are believed to number in the hundreds of thousands.

One of the problems to solve soon is how to improve quality of
workers' training so that they become more skillful and can
command better legal protection, Latief said.

Latief, however, also pointed out that along with the increase
in foreign investment here, the number of foreign workers
employed here has also been rising. More than 57,000 foreigners
are currently working here, receiving a combined income total of
US$24 billion a year.

"The government will soon audit professionals working here to
establish the capacities and qualities that Indonesian workers
need to compete with foreign workers," he said.

Following harsh criticism of the poor protection and abuse of
Indonesian workers abroad, the government decided to phase out
the sending of menial workers into informal sectors and increase
the number of skilled people able to find work in better-paid,
better-protected formal sectors.

AFP reported from Singapore yesterday that a Singaporean woman
pleaded guilty in a local court to hitting her Indonesian maid
and throwing a cup of hot water in the maid's face. She could be
jailed up to five years.

Tan Choon Bee, 40, struck Machyati Machyito with a feather
duster, pushed her with a metal stool and pinched her right thigh
at her home last December. Machyati reportedly forgot to follow
her employer's instructions on how to do the laundry.

The court will hear a mitigation plea from Tan before
sentencing. She faces up to five years in prison and a fine.

Indonesians and Filipinos make up the bulk of the estimated
80,000 foreign domestic helpers employed in Singapore. (swe)