Minister to fight extortion by officials at airport

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on Saturday that Soekarno-Hatta Airport's Terminal III was teeming with corrupt officials who extorted money from Indonesian workers returning from overseas.

Nuwa Wea, who is also chairman of the All-Indonesia Workers Union (FSPSI) and an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) legislator, pointed out that officials of all levels were involved in the extortion.

"I will have Terminal III cleared of all those who extort money from workers arriving from abroad," Jacob said as quoted by Antara.

The extortion of money from returning workers at Soekarno- Hatta Airport has been going on for years and became a major concern of Jacob long before he was appointed minister in July.

Aside from corrupt officials, the terminal swarms with people who forcibly offer services, from taxi rides to carrying workers' bags.

"They all demand money from workers ... Customs and excise officers, airport officials -- all ask for money," Jacob said. "The returning workers are forced to change their foreign currency at rates they (thugs) determine."

On Saturday, Jacob received a complaint from eight returning workers who were charged an extra Rp 200,000 each for the Garuda Biru bus that took them from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to their hometowns of Tangerang and Serang, both in West Java, and Lampung.

The workers filed a complaint with the Soekarno-Hatta police office.

"This sort of practice has to be stopped," Jacob said.

The longtime inaction against thuggery at the airport has compelled four executives of the Team for Returning Overseas Workers (PPTKI) to resign. PPTKI was formed by the manpower and transmigration ministry last year.

They are Yunus M Yamani (deputy chairman), Syukur Nuralam (secretary), Djamal Aziz (treasurer) and Farid Nahdi (deputy treasurer).

The executives retired after the minister failed to follow up on 23 instances of crimes against workers at Terminal III they had uncovered.

"We are ashamed because the corrupt practices persist against workers and the ministry has done nothing about it," Yunus said.

Yunus said that a crackdown on corrupt practices at Terminal III would succeed only if it was done by honest officials.

Jacob vowed he would stop the corruption at the terminal soon and that he did not want to hear anymore reports of extortion.

"Any time I learn of an official extorting money from workers, I will personally deal with it."

Jacob said he would cooperate with the police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro to deal with corrupt practices at Terminal III.