Soeharto wants exact data on workers' repatriation

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (JP): President Soeharto has ordered the nation's envoy in Saudi Arabia to determine the exact number of illegal Indonesian workers recently repatriated from the kingdom.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said over the weekend that Soeharto was apparently confused by differences in figures provided by Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief and ambassador Zarkowi Soejoeti.

Latief told Soeharto the number was more than 24,000, about 6,000 more than the amount cited by Zarkowi, according to Moerdiono.

"Soon after his arrival in Jeddah, Soeharto told the ambassador to recheck because the difference is very big," Moerdiono said after accompanying Soeharto to visit the tomb of Prophet Muhammad in Medina.

Soeharto and his family visited Saudi Arabia from Wednesday to Friday to perform umrah, the Moslem minor pilgrimage, and arrived back in Jakarta Saturday afternoon.

"The President also instructed the ambassador and his staff to give their best services and protection to the workers so that they could concentrate to their jobs," the minister said.

After meeting with Soeharto earlier this month, Latief announced that 24,357 illegal workers had been airlifted from Saudi Arabia in a repatriation program lasting almost a month.

The operation, involving flag carrier Garuda and Air Force planes, was conducted after Saudi Arabia ended a three-month amnesty and began expelling illegal foreign workers.

The airlift was financed by the state workers' insurance company, PT Jamsostek, with each worker's repatriation costing about US$300 in airfare.

Latief also disclosed at the time that 359 Indonesians were imprisoned in the country, a statement flatly rejected on Friday by an Indonesian diplomat dealing with the matter.

"We have checked with local authorities and the number is only 40 people," the diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Jakarta Post in Medina.

An Indonesian worker, Soleha Anam Kadiran, was executed in Mecca in September after being found guilty of killing her male employer. She alleged he had tried to sexually assault her.

"They are easy targets for sexual abuse or other harassment because most of our workers are women who work as housemaids," the diplomat said.

The Indonesian presence is felt in Saudi cities. In Jeddah, Indonesians are regarded by local traders as among their best customers.

Many shop owners and attendants can speak Indonesian fluently although they have never been to Indonesia or formally studied the language.

"Indonesian people are our best customers," said Muhammad Abdullah, a tenant in the Balad shopping center in Jeddah.

However, Indonesian servants can also be seen in shopping centers walking behind their Saudi Arabian employers.

"The repatriation program must be seen as a lesson for ... the future," Moerdiono quoted Soeharto as saying. (prb)