Garuda to join in airlift of workers from Saudi

Garuda to join in airlift of workers from Saudi

JAKARTA (JP): National airlines Garuda Indonesia will join in
the airlift to bring home 10,000 Indonesian workers from Saudi
Arabia.

"We have prepared six extra flights in addition to the three
weekly regular flights," Garuda president Soepandi said after
meeting with President Soeharto at Bina Graha presidential office
yesterday.

The Armed Forces has already committed four Hercules C-130
transport planes.

The government has targeted that the workers arrive home on
Nov. 8.

President Soeharto met senior government officials yesterday
to discuss the repatriation operation.

Among those present were Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief,
chief of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board Moetojib,
Chief of the Armed Forces' general affairs Lt. Gen. Tarub and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs' director general of foreign economic
relations Soemadi Brotodiningrat.

"The President ordered us to bring home all problem workers at
the government's expense," Latief said.

According to Latief, an earlier plan to deploy Navy ships has
been scrapped because it would be too costly and take too long.

Latief said Garuda had reduced their rate to transport the
workers.

"We (the Ministry of Manpower) are paying US$270 person. This
fare is very cheap because it is normally $420... Garuda is
actually suffering a loss," he said.

Each Garuda flight is expected to transport at least 250
people.

The problem workers were netted in a massive operation
launched by the Saudi government following a three-month amnesty
period for 100,000 illegal foreigners which expired last week.

More than 364,000 workers from Indonesia, the world's largest
Moslem nation, work legally in Saudi Arabia, mostly as
housemaids, laborers, drivers and nurses.

Threat

The Saudi government has threatened to punish foreigners who
overstay their visas or do not have complete immigration
documents with a minimum six-month jail term or a maximum fine of
US$26,000.

"About 80 percent of our illegal workers there overstayed
after performing the Moslem minor haj pilgrimage and the haj
pilgrimage, while 20 percent have working permit problems,"
Latief said.

He said it was difficult to trace the whereabouts of
overstaying workers because their names were not registered at
the Indonesian Embassy or consulates.

"Age forgery is also a problem," he said.

The minister also complained that the Saudi government was
often late informing Indonesia when a worker was in trouble.

"This is our problem with the Saudis... and we feel that the
Saudi government often remains silent with us," Latief said.

According to Latief, 7,000 people are waiting to be taken home
at the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah. Another 2,900 at
the Haj Center in Jeddah and 100 in Riyadh are also waiting to
return.

"This number is expected to increase further. Since we
coordinated efforts to take them home on Oct. 15 we have sent
back 1,276," Latief said.

When asked about the fate of female worker Nasiroh, 24, who is
facing a possible death penalty, Latief said: "We have sent our
lawyer to defend her. She was accused of shooting her employer,
but local officers found that she did not even know how to use a
gun."

Nasiroh is waiting to be tried for murdering her male employer
in 1994. The Indonesian maid reportedly shot him after he
sexually harassed her.

Latief said Nasiroh's family had been sent to Saudi Arabia to
meet with her, while Indonesian diplomats were closely following
the case.

Last month another Indonesian maid, Soleha Anam Kadiran, was
beheaded for murdering her employer.

"We will defend our citizens. This is a matter of dignity,"
Latief said. (prb)