Foreign Ministry to Repatriate Seven Victims of Human Trafficking

Jakarta (Antara) - The Foreign Ministry will repatriate seven Indonesians believed to have fallen victim to human trafficking from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. "The victims, along with other nine Indonesians are scheduled to arrive at Soekarno-Hatta Airport tomorrow at 02.00 p.m. by a Lion Air flight," the ministry's information and media director, PLE Priatna, said in a press statement on Wednesday. The seven Indonesians who hailed from West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces were sent to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, via Batam, by an individual agent. They were supposed to be employed in Malaysia with a monthly salary of RM700-800, excluding reduction for the first three to six months. They escaped from the agent's accommodation in Puchong, Selangor, and reported their case to the local police, he said. The police later handed them to the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur on May 19 for their repatriation, he said. Shortly after they have arrived in Indonesia, they will be handed to the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim) as coordinator of law enforcement sub-task force to follow up on the investigation of their case in Indonesia, he said. He said the Social Service Ministry as coordinator of the social rehabilitation, repatriation and reintegration sub-task force will assist their repatriation to their home towns. (*)