Extortionists disappear from Soekarno-Hatta
Extortionists disappear from Soekarno-Hatta
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said
yesterday that the notorious extortionists who used to prey on
returning workers have completely disappeared from Soekarno-Hatta
airport.
"You can see that the system is again working well," an
apparently satisfied Latief told reporters after touring the
airport terminal.
The extortionists were nowhere to be found at least during
Latief's tour with Director General of Immigration Roni Sikap
Sinuraya, Jakarta Military Chief Maj. Gen. Hendropriyono and City
Police Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Ismet.
During the inspection the minister welcomed some 100
Indonesian workers who were returning from Saudi Arabia.
Latief said the workers would be transported to Cakung by the
state-owned bus company Damri. "This company has been temporarily
entrusted to transport the workers from the airport to their home
villages and the ticket fares will not exceed the standard
price."
Hendropriyono said that at least 30 people, four of whom were
military officers, have been detained for extorting workers at
the airport.
"The detainees will be processed in accordance with the law,"
he said without elaborating.
He said that he had also deployed around 250 military and 50
police officers to launch a crackdown on illegal brokers
extorting workers at the airport.
But Roni said that he did not believe that immigration
officers at the airport were involved in the extortion cases.
"I'm not sure that crooked immigration officers in this
airport are involved in such cases because they are able to
identify who has money and who does not," he said, adding that no
immigration officers were punished for extorting workers.
Cooperation
Meanwhile A. Rachim K., the director general of manpower
management and placement at the Ministry of Manpower said on
Monday that the ministry will cooperate with the Soekarno-Hatta
airport authority, Perum Angkasapura, to protect the returning
workers from extortionists at the airport.
"We will contact the airport administration soon and discuss
each other's role and responsibility in handling the case,"
Rachim said.
Rachim was commenting on Perum Angkasapura's unilateral
decision Monday to transport 66 returning workers on Damri buses
directly to their manpower placement agency offices in Ciracas,
East Jakarta.
A total of 281 workers arrived from abroad at the airport on
Monday, but the airport authority took only 66 of them to
Ciracas. The rest traveled to their hometowns by taxi or bus.
Rachim said he regretted that the airport authority did not
discuss the plan to arrange special transportation for the
returnees with him first.
Rachim's secretary, H.J. Iskandarsyah, said he had long been
expecting the airport administration to help with the transport
process because "it is their responsibility to do so," but he
stated that the airport administration should inform his office
first for the sake of coordination. (rms/arf)