`Greed, thuggery greet workers on return home'

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's Terminal III was built in 1999 to handle returning Indonesian migrant workers. Now, the terminal is the scene of rampant extortion by unscrupulous officials and thugs. The Jakarta Post talked to some people about the problem.

Mahmud, not his real name, 38, used to work in Saudi Arabia for six years. Now he is a seasonal worker and lives in South Jakarta:

When I first returned from Saudi Arabia in 1999, I had to go through the newly built Terminal III. I was furious. I even punched a thug in the face because he deliberately broke my jar of zamzam (holy water) after I refused to give him money.

Then, some other thugs approached and threatened to beat me. I wasn't deterred. I showed them my muscles and tattoos and shouted that I would kill them one by one.

They let me go -- maybe I looked tough at the time.

But my family who picked me up outside the terminal were forced to pay the thugs and the officials a total of Rp 700,000 (US$82.35)!

On my return home last year, I did not go through Terminal III. I believe that I have the same rights as other airline passengers. It's too bad that other migrant workers are so powerless and must run the gauntlet in Terminal III

I would suggest that Jacob Nuwa Wea (manpower and transmigration minister) and Agum Gumelar (transportation minister) pay a visit to Terminal III incognito. They could pretend that they are family members of migrant workers. Then they would see what is really happening!

I would also urge both ministers to close down Terminal III and start treating our migrant workers as human beings. They are a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the country.

Narto, 46, is a taxi driver at the airport. He lives in Cinere, South Jakarta, with his wife and three children:

I can't begin to describe the situation in Terminal III. It's really terrible. Corrupt officials and thugs extort the migrant workers every time a batch of them arrives here. Even the ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers extort them.

The thugs also charge us taxi drivers between Rp 25,000 and Rp 30,000 for every passenger we pick up.

Once I took a migrant worker who refused to pay the Rp 150,000 demanded by a thug for what he called a "transportation fee". I charged her the regular fare although I had to pay the thug Rp 30,000.

I agree that Terminal III should be closed and all the crooked officials and the thugs arrested. The officials are afraid of the thugs and allow them to extort the workers.

I don't understand why the government turns a blind eye to this sort of banditry.

Nano, not his real name, 38, is a driver who lives in West Jakarta with his wife and daughter:

When I picked up my relatives at Terminal III, I was forced to pay lots of money to some thugs. Luckily, my relative, who looks like a soldier, was brave enough to stand up to them. He actually gave them a bit of a scare.

We still had to pay them to enter Terminal III, though, but only Rp 20,000 thanks to my relative.

I agree that Terminal III should be closed and that the government should act firmly against the thugs and corrupt officials. It's time to stop exploiting the weak.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.