CLOSELY SUPERVISING TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 16, 2017 (Antara) - Reports on arrests and deportations of foreign workers have become quite frequent lately, as regional authorities across the country have intensified supervision over foreigners to prevent violation of working permits or visas.

         There is no data on the total number of foreigners detained or deported nationally, but sporadic reports were available.

         On Jan 10, the Cirebon immigration office in West Java deported four Chinese nationals to Beijing for violating their stay permits in Indonesia.

         Raja Ulul Azmi, head of the Cirebon immigration office's supervision and enforcement section, stated that although the Chinese citizens arrived on visit visas, they were in fact working in a Hebel factory in West Palimanan Village, Gempol Sub-district, Ciberon District.

         "They entered the country in August 2016 using visit visas obtained through a sponsor," he revealed.

         In East Java, the immigration office of Surabaya detained seven Chinese workers for violating their stay permits in Indonesia.

         While inspecting an iron and steel industry plant on December 29, 2016, immigration officers found 16 Chinese workers at the company. All except the seven accused held legal documents permitting them to work in Indonesia.

         The seven only had visit permits issued by the Indonesian embassy in Beijing. They also did not have recommendation documents from the Indonesian manpower office.

         In Sukabumi, West Java Province, the Indonesian Immigration Office temporarily detained three Chinese nationals found to be working illegally at a brick factory here.

         Head of the Sukabumi Immigration Office Filianto Akbar stated in early January that following interrogation, it was revealed that the Chinese men had worked for six months at the brick factory without a valid work permit, while they only had a visit visa.

         Nine Chinese workers would also be deported by the Bekasi Immigration Office in West Java for violating their tourist visas.

         "The permits are for visit and tourism, not for work," Head of the Bekasi Immigration Office Sutrisno noted on Jan 13.

         The immigration officers arrested the illegal workers while inspecting several factories in South Cikarang on Thursday.

         The officers detained 20 Chinese workers, but 11 of them would be given an opportunity to renew their permits, and administrative sanctions will be imposed on them.

         Nine others will be deported and blacklisted from entering Indonesia in future, as they held fake temporary stay permits.

         Sutrisno confirmed that the workers had not only forged documents and given false data but had also not paid their taxes.

         Meanwhile, the Bogor Immigration Office, also in West Java, detained 18 Chinese workers from the mining quarry of PT Bintang Cindai Mineral Geologi Tani Berkah in Cinta Manik Village, Cigudeg Sub-district, Bogor District, on Jan 10.

         A tip-off from a local villager led the officials to the illegal workers, Herman Lukman, head of the Bogor Immigration Office, was quoted as saying by Republika.co.id.

         In Aceh Darussalam, the Meulaboh Immigration Office detained five foreigners comprising four Chinese and a Malaysian national for violating Indonesia's immigration law.

         The five foreigners were detained while assembling a boat in a gold mining area located in Sungai Mas Sub-district on November 2, 2016, Head of the Meulaboh Immigration Office Ian F. Markos declared.

         Several parties believe that the increased presence of foreigners, mostly from China, is a consequence of the government's visa-free facility launched to attract more tourists and a surge in foreign investment, particularly from China. 
    The National Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), however, has urged the public to not believe in rumors on the alleged influx of foreign workers into the country.

         Concerns over the presence of foreign workers were exacerbated and not proportional, and it could become counterproductive to the government's efforts to attract foreign investors, BKPM Chief Thomas Trikasih Lembong stated recently.

         Foreign workers are needed solely in the early stages of foreign investment projects; gradually, in their third or fourth year, and they will be replaced by their local counterparts, he explained.

         Besides this, the percentage of foreign workers is around 0.1 percent of the total figure in Indonesia, which is miniscule compared to the over 20 percent recorded in Singapore and over 5 percent in Malaysia and Thailand, he noted.

         Furthermore, the Industry Ministry has ensured that stringent supervision is being maintained on foreign workers in industrial areas or zones to prevent any immigration violation.

         Unlike in tourist destinations, which are friendly to foreign visitors, industrial areas have implemented a tight supervision policy for foreign workers, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, director general of the Industry Ministry, stated during a recent visit to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.

         "Those involved in the supervision process include officials of the Investment Coordinating Board, Manpower Ministry, and immigration offices," he noted.

         "Thus, multi-layered supervision is being conducted at industrial zones. It will be difficult for foreign workers to enter if they do not meet the conditions," he pointed out.

         Foreign workers are hired in Indonesia solely to conduct tasks that their local counterparts are unable to perform, he added.

         Meanwhile, the Confederation of Indonesian Labor Unions (KSPI) plans to sue the government over the presence of foreign workers that allegedly deprives the local inhabitants of their rights to getting jobs.

         The confederation will file citizen lawsuits against the government simultaneously in 20 district courts in 20 provinces throughout Indonesia, KSPI President Said Iqbal informed the press on Jan 12.

         "The reason behind filing the lawsuit is because the Constitutional rights of citizens to find jobs have been ignored," he stated.

         Several thousand unskilled foreigners work in Indonesia, which is against Law No. 13 of 2003 on Manpower, he claimed.

         The law only allowed skilled foreigners to work in Indonesia. He believed that numerous unskilled foreigners currently work illegally in the country.

         Jobs requiring no special skills should be given to local workers, he emphasized.

         Iqbal claims to have also received information that hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals currently work in Indonesia.

         The KSPI will set up command posts to collect data on unskilled foreign workers in Indonesia.

         Iqbal has called on the House of Representatives to form a special committee to discuss the presence of illegal foreign workers in Indonesia.

         The confederation plans to stage a rally protesting the presence of illegal foreign workers on Feb 6 in Jakarta. 
    Earlier, on Dec 27, President Joko Widodo had stated that rumors of Indonesia being flooded by illegal foreign workers, mainly from China, were slanderous and untrue.

         The president remarked that the number of foreign workers in Indonesia was only 21,000.

         "They come and go back because there are several things that we are not yet ready to do. When we are ready, we will use our own labor force," he added.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 16-01-2017