Minister of Migrant Worker Protection: No Evacuation Requests from PMI in the Middle East Yet
Minister of Migrant Worker Protection Mukhtarudin stated that no requests for evacuation have been received from Indonesian workers in the conflict areas of the Middle East. According to him, conditions in several areas bordering Iran—which is in conflict with Israel and the United States—remain relatively safe.
“(The condition of migrant workers) is safe. There have been no evacuation requests either,” said Mukhtarudin at the House of Representatives complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.
The Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection records that there are still 20,000 migrant workers working in the Middle East region. Around 4,000 workers are placed on the borders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, and 16,000 people are in the borders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Mukhtarudin opened the possibility of implementing a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to areas currently in conflict. The government is considering that decision as an anticipation of the escalation of the Middle East conflict.
“We are preparing alternative policies regarding the temporary suspension or prohibition of placement in countries that become conflict areas,” said the Golkar Party politician.
According to him, the P2MI directorate has formed a crisis monitoring team that coordinates with government representatives in conflict areas, especially those in Iran or bordering Iran. Every day they report conditions in the Middle East, such as in Oman, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and others.
Mukhtarudin explained that the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection has carried out mitigation through identification and mapping of areas to determine which regions are at risk of being affected by conflict when placing workers.
Areas deemed highly vulnerable to conflict will be avoided for placement locations as a form of cooling down the situation.
Regarding the suspension of worker dispatch, he admitted that the decision would be further discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commission IX of the DPR as the working partner of the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection.
“If the situation forces it, we will implement alternative policies, of course after consulting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and certainly with the gentlemen and ladies in Commission IX,” he said.
He then conveyed that the government is also preparing return services and facilities for Indonesian migrant workers if tensions in the Middle East increase again. The government also claims to provide psychological counselling services for workers who feel their mental health is affected by the conflict. That consultation service can be accessed online.
“Physically not yet affected, but traumatically and psychologically they feel it because they hear bombs and missiles in their areas,” he said.