Administrative Sanctions Against PT Bahtera Tullus Karya for Illegal Placement of Indonesian Migrant Workers to Middle East

JAKARTA - The Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) has imposed administrative sanctions on PT Bahtera Tullus Karya concerning the placement of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

“We have decided to impose a temporary suspension of partial or complete business activities in the placement of Indonesian migrant workers,” said Director-General of the KP2MI’s Protection Directorate, Rinardi, at the ministry’s office on Thursday (26 January 2026).

PT Bahtera Tullus Karya was found to have violated the Ministerial Regulation on Migrant Worker Protection/Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency Number 4 of 2025, Article 9, subsections (1) letters c, d, e, and k. The company additionally breached Article 15, subsection (1) letters i, j, k, and p of Ministerial Regulation Number 31 of 2025 concerning Business Activity Standards and/or Product/Service Standards in the implementation of Risk-Based Business Licensing for the Labour Sector, covering the selection and placement of Indonesian migrant workers.

The company also failed to report the results of migrant worker candidate selection to the labour agency in its respective district or municipality. Other administrative violations included the failure to register and enrol migrant worker candidates in the Pre-Departure Orientation (OPP).

“The purpose of the Pre-Departure Orientation is to provide candidates with essential preparation before departure abroad,” Rinardi explained. “This includes understanding employment contracts, local workplace culture, insurance matters, financial literacy, and other necessary information.”

The most serious violation, according to Rinardi, was PT Bahtera Tullus Karya placing Indonesian migrant worker candidates in destination countries with closed status. Since 2015, the government has maintained a moratorium on placing Indonesian domestic sector workers in 15 Middle Eastern countries, a policy that remains in effect. This provision is regulated under the Ministry of Labour Regulation Number 260 of 2015.

Rinardi flagged a new modus operandi employed by PT Bahtera Tullus Karya. The company has been placing Indonesian migrant workers in a Middle Eastern country, specifically Saudi Arabia, using work visas with the job title “Support Worker”. This designation is considered easier to bypass the Saudi Arabian embassy’s Enjaz system in Jakarta.