Victims of Human Trafficking in M'Sia Return to Bali

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Five Balinese students who were victims of human trafficking in Malaysia were scheduled to be flown home on Monday, a local government official said.

"The students will have arrived here today," Head of Bali Province's Workforce, Population and Transmigration Office I Made Artadana said.

He said he had coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for their return to Bali.

"The students have left Malaysia at 9 am (Malaysia time)," Artadana said.

He said his office had also coordinated with the parents of the students and the Badung-based Mengwitani School of Tourism (PLP) to welcome them.

Before being flown back to the resort island, the ill-fated female students were giving shelter at the Indonesian embassy. 

According to the embassy's labor attache, Agus Trianto, last Saturday, he would accompany the students in their trip home.

"I will accompany them to Indonesia and hand them over directly to their parents on July 26," he said.

They arrived in Malaysia last April under a working contract between their school and a local employment recruiting official,  named Samuel. They were promised internships at five-star hotels.

Instead of being placed at the promised five-star hotels, they were brought to Penang from Kuala Lumpur to be employed at an electronic factory there, he said.

Nyoman, one of the five girl students, said they were offered  an internship program at Malaysia's five-star hotels by their school's principal.

"Our school was said to be cooperating with a manpower  recruitment agent in Indonesia named Samuel," Nyoman said.

However, to be able to work in the neighboring country, Nyoman said she had to pay  Rp10.5 million while two of her friends each had to pay Rp6.5 million, she said.

The money was used for buying one-way tickets, obtaining passports, airport tax, and health check-ups, she said.

"We arrived at Sepang, Malaysia, at midnight on April 13. The Malaysian agent came to pick us on April 14. He took us to a dormitory in Penang island," Nyoman said.

Instead of sending them to the promised five-star hotels for working under the internship program, he put them in an electronic factory in Penang, she said.

"Finding the different reality, we immediately called our parents. They were very concerned because we were not in an internship program at the hotels as promised," she said.

In response to the case of the the five Balinese students, Agus Trianto said they were indeed victims of human trafficking.

"If Samuel is arrested, he can be prosecuted under the anti-human trafficking law," he said.

In Malaysia, more than a million Indonesians are working in such sectors as construction projects  and plantations.(*)