Labor export to Mideast stopped

Labor export to Mideast stopped

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration issued on
Tuesday a circular instructing Indonesian manpower recruitment
agencies (PJKTI) to stop sending workers to the Middle East in
case of a possible U.S. military strike on Iraq.

The advisory, which will take effect on Feb. 1, is aimed at
protecting Indonesian workers abroad, the ministry said.

"If any PJKTI office insists on sending workers (to the Middle
East), it will be subject to sanctions," Irnadi, the ministry's
director general for workers' placement abroad, said.

Copies of the circular were addressed to heads of recruitment
agencies across the country, relevant agencies and three
associations of PJTKI -- the Association of Indonesian Manpower
Service Companies (Apjati), the Association of Indonesian
Employee Agencies and the Federation of Manpower Service Agencies
(Himsataki).

Himsataki chief, Yunus Yamani, asked the ministry to be
consistent in its policy by not granting approval to Indonesians
wishing to work in the Middle East even if they already had visas
and passports. --Antara