Over 30,000 expatriates work illegally in Indonesia

Over 30,000 expatriates work illegally in Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): The Manpower Ministry revealed on Friday that
more than 30,000 expatriates from numerous countries are working
illegally in Indonesia without having to fear strict measures
from authorities.

Director General for Labor Placement Din Syamsuddin said the
country's poor bureaucracy, weak law enforcement and promising
remuneration were the common reasons for foreigners to enter
Indonesia illegally.

"Most of the illegal foreign workers are employed by fishing
companies, entertainment centers and mining and manufacturing
firms," he said.

The fishing companies mostly operate in eastern Indonesia,
Jakarta, Bali and Batam, Riau, and recruit expatriates from the
Philippines, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, he added.

Din said many of the companies use modern ships that bear the
Indonesian flag.

"Foreign investors taking local companies as their partners
have never registered their foreign workers to the Manpower
Ministry or the Foreign Investment Agency (Bapepam) in order to
evade income taxes and other legal levies," he said.

He complained that many of the companies operated illegally in
Indonesian waters without any detection from security
authorities.

There have been many reports from provincial manpower ministry
offices saying foreign fishing companies used modern equipment,
including remote sensing, to exploit marine resources, according
to Din.

Illegal foreign workers has also raised concerns about the
spread of lethal diseases. Din said that in Irian Jaya, many
foreign fishermen had infected the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) to local prostitutes.

Din pointed out that hundreds of sex workers from China, Hong
Kong, the Philippines and Thailand are employed in nightspots in
Jakarta, Bali and Batam.

"Many entered with tourist visas and many others were smuggled
in by giving bribes to immigration officials," he said.

It is difficult for the Manpower Ministry to detect them
because they always move from one entertainment center to another
and avoid staying in one place permanently, according to Din.

"Many local entertainment businessmen are allegedly involved
in international syndicates which supplies foreign sex workers
because of huge demands here. You can imagine that the inflow of
sex workers will remain high if they are paid an average of
between Rp 2 million and Rp 5 million each per night," he said.

Din also found the scarcity of skilled workers in Indonesia
had driven many foreign investors here to employ expatriates
illegally.

"Local and foreign investors are allowed to recruit
expatriates whose skills are not available at here, but are
subject to approval from the government as stipulated by the 1977
presidential decree," he said.

Only 30,000 expatriates work in Indonesia with proper
documents and have been registered at the Manpower Ministry,
Bapepam and Batam Authorities, according to Din.

He called on immigration authorities and the National Police
to step up measures to detect the presence of illegal expatriates
and take strict measures against them.

Din said, on the other hand, the government should improve the
quality of domestic workers and intensify training programs to
avoid a possible rush of foreign workers in the wake of the
implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) labor
agreement this September and the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement
(AFTA) in 2003.

"Indonesia can no longer stop the inflow of expatriates and
their employment rate will remain high if we fail to make
necessary preparations for the free trade era," he said.

According to him, the government could add certain
nontechnical requirements for foreigners wishing to work in the
country in a bid to restrict the entrance of expatriates. (rms)