Jakarta (ANTARA) - “Diplomacy is fundamentally working with people, bringing people together to deal with difficult issues.”
This statement was made by John Roos, the United States Ambassador to Japan from 2009 to 2013.
The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry's success in repatriating 569 Indonesian citizens exploited in online scams from Myanmar on March 17-19 is proof of the success of the diplomacy.
The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) Bangkok announced that 400 Indonesian citizens were evacuated from Myawaddy on March 17 and arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport the following day aboard a flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
The Indonesian Citizen Protection Team from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, and the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon have also successfully evacuated another batch comprising 169 Indonesian citizens from Myawaddy on March 18 and arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport on March 19.
Intensive coordination and full support from the Thai and Myanmar authorities facilitated the smooth evacuation of Indonesian citizens crossing from Myawaddy.
Coordination and communication
Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities (BHI) of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Judha Nugraha stated that the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok and the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon coordinated and communicated with the Thai and Myanmar authorities to assist in the repatriation of Indonesian citizens from Myawaddy, Myanmar.
"We also establish contacts with parties who can support us in evacuating our citizens from Myanmar,” he remarked.
Although he did not detail the coordination and communication with related parties, Nugraha emphasized that all assistance from these parties was carried out through official channels.
The repatriation of Indonesian citizens from Myawaddy was conducted by crossing the border between Myanmar and Thailand via the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, which connects Myawaddy in Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand.
The 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge serves as a land transportation link within the East-West Economic Corridor, facilitating the movement of goods, travel, and tourism while enhancing the trade and investment opportunities between Thailand and the Union of Myanmar, as well as countries in the Mekong sub-region.
From Mae Sot, after undergoing a health screening process through the National Referral Mechanism, Indonesian citizens embarked on a 10-hour bus journey to Don Moeang Airport in Bangkok before heading to Indonesia.
The Myawaddy-Mae Sot-Bangkok route was first utilized to repatriate 84 Indonesian citizens from Myanmar to Indonesia on February 28.
Due to the success of this approach, the government chose this route for another evacuation batch from Myawaddy, Myanmar, on March 17-19.
The Thai authorities suggested to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Myawaddy-Mae Sot-Bangkok route was a reference for repatriating other citizens who were also victims of Human Trafficking (TPPO) in Myanmar.
The Myawaddy area is not fully controlled by the Naypyidaw authorities but is under the control of armed ethnic groups. Consequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs engaged in various forms of communication through multiple channels.
Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation
The Indonesian government also recognizes the importance of strong diplomacy in assisting Indonesian citizens abroad, especially amid unfortunate circumstances.
Hence, to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Myanmar, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs implemented the 4P strategy: protection of victims, prosecution, prevention, and partnership.
Regarding partnerships, Indonesia has also taken diplomatic measures bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally.
Bilaterally, Indonesia has established sound relations with Thailand, where the Thai authorities fully support in assisting Indonesia's efforts to repatriate Indonesian citizens from Myanmar via Thailand.
Thailand has established a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to protect and assist victims of human trafficking within its borders.
The NRM aims to facilitate cooperation between relevant agencies to identify and assist victims of human trafficking and forced labor or services, ensuring they have access to essential support services.
The NRM operates in four stages: frontline response, screening, identification, and protection.
In addition, Indonesia proposed the ASEAN Leaders Declaration on Combating Traffic Inversion Caused by the Abuse of Technology, which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) later adopted in 2023.
The declaration recognizes the increasing reliance on technology and its potential misuse, including in facilitating transnational and organized criminal activities such as human trafficking.
The declaration commits ASEAN to strengthen regional cooperation mechanisms and coordination, improve protection and support efforts for victims, and promote a cohesive and immediate ASEAN response to address current and future threats arising from the abuse of technology.
In addition, ASEAN is tasked with improving the capacity of law enforcement and related institutions to investigate, collect data, identify victims, detect, stop, and prosecute human trafficking crimes, using technological tools and sharing best practices.
Increasing prevention
Although the ministry has successfully repatriated hundreds of Indonesian citizens who fell victim to online scam exploitation from Myanmar to Indonesia, it is also essential to implement preventive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
The ministry emphasized that one of the important layers of prevention should come from family members, who must be vigilant if one of their relatives plans to work abroad.
If they encounter any irregularities or illegalities in the job placement process, such as incomplete documents or the absence of a work contract before departure, Indonesian citizens are advised not to proceed.
This prevention effort requires collaboration from all stakeholders, from the central government to local governments, including cooperation with NGOs, media, academics, the private sector, and other community groups, particularly families, to protect our citizens against the threats of human trafficking and online scams.
