Magetan, E Java (ANTARA) - The government thanks Indonesian migrant workers abroad for their foreign exchange contribution to the state through their remittance of about Rp120 trillion per annum, a senior manpower official said here on Tuesday. Head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection Indonesian Migrant Workers Overseas (BNP2TKI) Jumhur Hidayat said that the remittance accounted for about eight percent of the state budget which totaled Rp1,500 trillion. Jumhur said that there were about 6.5 million Indonesian workers in foreign countries and about 32.5 million people could be saved from becoming poor thanks the fact that each migrant worker was able to earn a living for about five family members. The BNP2TKI head said that the government also apologized to Indonesian workers because it was not yet able to developed economy in the country that could provide enough jobs for workers at home. "Because the government is not yet able to develop such economy, some of its citizens have to work overseas," he said. The BNP2TKI, he said, continues to make efforts to improve working conditions of Indonesian migrant workers such as improving their protection as early as their departure from home through an online computer registration system. He said that the online registration system aimed to ensure a would-be Indonesian worker's data based on the recommendation of a local manpower and transmigration service. Jumhur has suggested earlier that would-be Indonesian migrant workers opt to work in Asia Pacific countries because protection for workers in this region is more guaranteed. "Protection for Indonesian workers in Asia Pacific countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore is relatively comprehensive where workers are recognized as an equal partner by their employers," Jumhur Hidayat said. He said that the number of Indonesian workers dispatched for overseas jobs in Asia Pacific countries continued to increase every year. (*)

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