Unauthorized firms blamed for illegal workers

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Labor Export Companies urged the government yesterday to take stern action against unauthorized labor exporters whom they blame for the problems currently arising with illegal migrant workers.

The association's secretary-general, Anthon Sihombing, said after meeting with the director general of labor placement that many companies and individuals were going to villages across the country to seek "their victims for money" by sending them overseas illegally.

"The unauthorized firms and individuals ask these unsuspecting job seekers, mostly female, to pay between Rp 1 million (US$125) and Rp 3 million with a promise of a better job and high payment in dollars," he said.

The job seekers were then "smuggled without the necessary documents, such as a visa and passport, and handed over to their foreign partners to be sold to those needing cheap labor," he said.

He claimed that these unauthorized companies treated job seekers inhumanely with little concern for their welfare.

"They (the job seekers) are put in houses under conditions which are no better than a prison for weeks, even months, before they are transported by ship from Tanjung Priok and harbors in Sumatra," he said.

He said job seekers bound for Saudi Arabia had used green passports, usually used for umroh (minor haj) pilgrims and six- month tourism visas, to work in the country.

Some 24,000 Indonesians were deported by Saudi Arabia in December for entering the country without the necessary documents. Malaysia is also in the process of deporting an estimated 12,000 Indonesian immigrants for the same reason.

Anthon, who is also president of labor exporter PT Luhur Asa Vrima, said the association would impose organizational sanctions against its member firms found to be collaborating with unauthorized individuals to export labor.

"We are checking dozens of companies to see if they are collaborating with unauthorized individuals to export labor. If they are found guilty sanctions will be imposed on them and, if necessary, we will ask the government to revoke their export licenses."

He said that the sending of illegal workers, especially unskilled ones, could be detrimental for legitimate Indonesian workers and tarnish the country's image overseas. (rms)