Indonesian Embassy, Saudi Police Free 39 Illegal Migrant Workers

Kairo (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh and the Saudi Arabian police have conducted collaborative searches and managed to free 39 women migrant workers (TKW) who were employed illegally in the country.

As many as 39 TKW were accommodated in a room by a couple Ali and Basamah to be employed as daily housekeepers for the local people, Chief Executive Function Information and Cultural Affairs Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh Ahrul Tsani Fathurrahman stated here on Wednesday.

The couple has been detained by the police following joint search operations conducted by the Embassy and the local police for the first time.

Head of the Citizen Protection Team of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh Chairil Anhar Siregar revealed that the TKW were not legal migrant workers who came through official channels.

"They were brought in from Indonesia to work in Bahrain and were then moved to Saudi Arabia to be employed on lease on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis," Siregar, who is also the third secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, stated.

The case came to light after public reports about some migrant workers who were illegally accommodated.

After receiving this information, the Indonesian Embassy, in collaboration with the local police, launched a search.

Moreover, the Citizen Protection Team of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh had also taken a series of steps such as establishing communication with some of the 39 TKW and coordinating with the authorities and the Indonesian community in the surrounding area.

Siregar explained that the payment system was also uncommon. The TKW could get more that 200 to 700 riyals per month compared to the legal workers.

The 39 TKW are now being accommodated at a temporary shelter Ruhama, which is managed by the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, pending further proceedings related to the settlement of their cases.(WDY)