46 Indonesian Citizens, Including Former DPRD Members, Victims of TPPO Repatriated from Myanmar

TANGERANG, KOMPAS — A total of 46 Indonesian citizens who managed to leave the Myawaddy region in Myanmar arrived in Indonesia on Thursday evening (20/2/2025) at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten. Some of them, including a former member of the Regional House of Representatives, are victims of human trafficking (TPPO).

Even so, based on the initial investigation, Indonesian authorities suspect that there are individuals believed to be part of a human trafficking syndicate. Further investigations are still being carried out by a joint team together with the Criminal Investigation Agency of the National Police Headquarters over the next few days.

“Not all of our citizens are victims. Based on the investigation by our friends at Bareskrim, some are recruiters. Leaders, active recruiters. The recruiters are fellow Indonesian citizens. This is what we will investigate together with our friends at Bareskrim. We hope that these perpetrators will be dealt with firmly,” said the Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, when met at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport last night.

Judha, along with the Director General of the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers at the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI), Rinardi, personally welcomed dozens of Indonesian citizens at Terminal 2F of the airport.

The 46 Indonesian citizens consist of 38 men and eight women. They come from nine provinces in Indonesia.

According to Judha, the Indonesian citizens repatriated this time mostly came from North Sumatra, West Java, North Sulawesi, and DKI Jakarta. They were returned to Indonesia from Thailand using two aircraft, namely Batik Air ID7630 and Air Asia QZ257.

Judha explained that some of them were offered to work in Thailand. However, upon arrival in Bangkok, they were picked up and then taken across to Myanmar via Mae Sot City, western Thailand. They were then employed as part of an online scam syndicate.

According to Judha, among the Indonesian citizens who were repatriated, there were individuals who had previously worked at offshore gambling companies (POGO) in the Philippines. After the operations of POGO in the Philippines were halted by authorities, they moved to Laos, Cambodia, or Myanmar.

Their work periods also vary. The shortest, according to Judha, they have only worked for two weeks in Myawaddy. Among them, there are also those who have worked for years.

Based on records from the Directorate of Protection of Indonesian Citizens of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of P2MI, there are currently 92 Indonesian citizens who will be repatriated to Indonesia in the near future. Outside of that number, Judha said, they have received complaints from around 270 Indonesian citizens who are still in Myawaddy who are also suspected of being victims of TPPO.

One of the Indonesian citizens who was successfully repatriated was Robiin, a former member of the Indramayu Regency Regional People's Representative Council for the 2014-2019 period. Robiin, said Judha, was held in a compound in Palu City, Myawaddy, Kayin State, Myanmar.

Muhammad Solihin, Robiin's colleague, when met at the airport said, Robiin initially received an offer to work as a Human Resources (HRD) staff at a textile factory in Thailand. He was promised a fairly large salary, which was Rp 16 million per month.

Robiin was interested in accepting the offer because he was promised that he would be able to go back and forth to his hometown. "At that time he was running again as a member of the DPRD. During his free time, he wanted to find a job with a sufficient income," said Solihin.

Robiin was interested in the offer and finally left for Thailand in September 2023. However, instead of working in Thailand, he was smuggled to Myanmar and employed as an employee of an online scamming syndicate.

There, Robiin was forced to work 18–20 hours a day in online fraud practices. He was required to find 100 contacts a day. If the target was not achieved, he received punishment. The punishments he received varied, such as being electrocuted or beaten with a block of wood.

Judha said that the majority of the Indonesian citizens who were repatriated were in good health. However, two people suffered gunshot wounds.

Director General of PMI Protection at the Ministry of P2MI Rinardi asked the public to be careful in accepting job offers abroad with the lure of high salaries.

"There are many enticements from social media that seem as if someone can work easily without complete documents, without letters, even without competence and get a big salary. But, then they become objects of human trafficking. Don't let this happen again," said Rinardi.

Judha also said the same thing. "We appeal to the public not to be easily tempted by job vacancies abroad, but do not ask for special qualifications. Departing without a work visa, leaving without a work contract and then having problems in the end," said Judha.