6-7-2023 (JAKARTA) The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali has implemented stricter measures to regulate the departure of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMIs) in order to protect them from falling victim to human trafficking. Shandro Bobby Raymon, the Head of Immigration Information and Communication Technology at the Ngurah Rai Bali Immigration Office, stated that in-depth interviews, background checks, and purpose assessments are conducted for PMIs before their departure.
The Bali Immigration Office collaborates with law enforcement agencies, including the police and the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI), to address this issue.
Data from the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office reveals that during the period from January to June 2023, authorities successfully prevented the departure of 412 illegal PMIs through the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali. This number marks a significant increase compared to the same period in 2022, when only six illegal PMIs were detected.
Raymon suspects that these individuals, apart from lacking legal documents as PMIs, could potentially be victims of human trafficking.
According to the latest records from the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, along with the police and BP2MI, they were able to thwart the departure of four victims involved in suspected human trafficking cases, which implicated two suspects. These victims were promised jobs in Cambodia via Thailand and were planning to depart through the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.
Raymon highlighted that the improvement in the global situation due to the controlled COVID-19 pandemic has led to the relaxation of restrictions on international travel, creating more opportunities for PMIs to depart from Bali to other countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously reported a significant increase in human trafficking cases involving PMIs during the period from 2020 to 2023, with 1,800 cases recorded. In response, the Bali Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is finalizing the establishment of an intelligence operations team dedicated to preventing human trafficking.
The office is currently engaged in discussions regarding the technical aspects of forming an intelligence operations team named “Kresna,” which will be centrally operated under the supervision of the Directorate of Immigration Intelligence of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. The immigration intelligence operation will focus on gathering data and information about potential cases of suspected human trafficking.
