RI TO INCREASE PROTECTION FOR OVERSEAS MIGRANT WORKERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 26 (Antara) - Indonesian migrant workers (TKIs) employed overseas are major contributors to the country's foreign exchange, with an average remittance of Rp100 trillion per annum.         However, many of them in various countries face problems, such as inadequate skills, inappropriate immigration documents, or illegal employment, as they are dispatched by illegal manpower supplier firms. They are less paid and involved in legal cases and in other issues too.          Hence, the government is determined to improve its services and protection for TKIs. For this purpose, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is expected to visit Hong Kong later this month to meet and collect first-hand information from Indonesian migrant workers there.          Last Sunday, the head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Oversees (BNP2TKI), Nusron Wahid, met hundreds of TKIs in Hong Kong.          He met the Indonesian migrant workers to obtain information as part of an advance visit before Jokowi's arrival. Wahid discussed various problems experienced by the migrant workers and the solutions to tackle their problems.

SATINAH FINALLY ESCAPES BEHEADING IN SAUDI ARABIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 4 (Antara) - Convicted Indonesian migrant worker Satinah, facing beheading for murder in Saudi Arabia, was finally freed from the death penalty after the Indonesian government and the victim's family agreed upon a 7 million Riyal diyat payment.         "We assure that Satinah can be freed from the beheading punishment because we have transferred another two million Riyal to the victim's family. They can disburse the money as of Sunday because banks are closed in Saudi Arabia on Friday and Saturday," Gatot Abdullah Mansyur of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Overseas (BNP2TKI) stated in Jakarta on Thursday.          Earlier the government and the victim's family agreed to a payment in diyat (blood compensation money) of 7 million Riyal, of which five million was paid in cash and the remaining two million Riyal was to be paid in installments.          Satinah, 40, who hails from Semarang, Central Java, was found guilty by the Saudi Arabian court of killing her employer 70-year old Nura al-Gharib in the Gaseem area in early 2009 and of stealing her employer's money amounting to 37.9 thousand Riyals.          She was initially punished with absolute death penalty. But the appellate court reduced her sentence to the 'Qishash' death penalty, a death punishment that could be avoided by paying diyat or blood compensation money with amounts decided by the victim's family.          Satinah has been jailed since 2009 and was scheduled to be executed on April 3, unless the requested diyat of 7.5 million Riyal, which is equal to about Rp21 billion, is paid.          Gatot Abdullah Mansyur clarified that the diyat was not paid in installments but in cash, where two million Riyals have been transferred from Indonesia to the victim's family and five million others have been handed over through the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh.          Of the 7 million Riyals, three million has been paid by the government of Indonesia and the other four million by donors who sympathized with Satinah.

GOVT GIVING PROTECTION TO OVERSTAYING WORKERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 8 (Antara) - The Indonesian government will continue to provide services and protection for Indonesian workers who have overstayed their residency permits in Saudi Arabia following the end of the amnesty provided by the Saudi government.          The assistance to workers will be provided by the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh and the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Jidda.      The Saudi government has provided amnesty for workers without valid permits and gave them a chance to attend to their travel documents in lieu of passports (SPLP) until November 3, 2013.          "Many Indonesians overstaying without permits have not yet completed attending to their SPLP because of complicated procedures at the Saudi Immigration Office. They applied for  legalized documents to go home or to  continue their work in that country," Tatang B Razak, director for Indonesian Citizen Protection Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a written statement.          Tatang made the statement amid a move by the Saudi government to launch raids on Indonesians working without permits, following the end of the amnesty. According to detiknews online media, on the first day of the raids, about 7,500 Indonesian workers had been apprehended.

RI'S OVERSEAS FORMAL WORKER ROADMAP TO START IN SINGAPORE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 13 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has planned to stop exporting domestic helpers abroad in 2017 and replace them with sending skilled workers for recruitment in the formal sectors.         Most of Indonesian migrant workers overseas are so far domestic helpers who work   with individual employers so that they are prone to abuses like what have frequently happened to Indonesian house maids in Malaysia and the Middle East.          Therefore, Indonesia, which receives an average annual remittance of Rp100 trillion from millions of migrant workers in 116 countries, is planning to send only skilled workers in the formal sectors abroad.          "The interest of migrant workers could be guaranteed if they work in the formal sectors in various companies or organizations under official work contracts," Moh Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Workers Abroad (BNP2TKI), said here on Wednesday.

MALAYSIA URGED TO HANDLE FAIRLY GANG-RAPE CASE AGAINST INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKER

 By Andi Abdussalam

    Jakarta, Nov 12 (ANTARA) - Malaysia has to take immediate steps to process fairly an alleged gang-rape by three Malaysian policemen of an Indonesian migrant worker in Pulau Penang so that the case would not trigger public outrage in Indonesia.  Besides, the Indonesian government should also monitor the handling of the case to ensure that the perpetrators would be prosecuted, and if they are  found guilty, the should receive the severest punishment.
        "The Indonesian government should provide assistance and monitor the case because the victim is an Indonesian citizen. The monitoring by the government is needed to ensure that the rapists are taken to court," Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law observer of the University of Indonesia (UI), said here on Monday.
         The latest case could trigger another public outrage in Indonesia like what happened in the past when incidents such as maid abuses, extortion, violence and shooting  befell Indonesian migrant workers or citizens in Malaysia.

RI, M'SIA CRITICIZE 'BARBER SHOP' ADS ON INDONESIAN MAIDS

Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 30 (ANTARA) - Advertising leaflets screaming "Indonesian Maids on Sale!!!" in public places in Kuala Lumpur have sparked an outcry in Indonesia and Malaysia since Sunday.  Although reports claimed the advertisement was posted by a barber shop rather than a recruiting agency, it was criticized by the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia as being potentially damaging for bilateral relations.          According to the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry also criticized the placement of the advertisement in public places by individuals or an agency, calling it an act that could disturb and disharmonize Indonesia-Malaysia ties. "The Malaysian government observes that the leaflet or flyer offering a discount on hiring an Indonesian housemaid is an illegal and regrettable act," Suryana Sastradiredja, the social, cultural and information section head of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said in a press statement on Monday.

MORE INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS NEEDED OVERSEAS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 30 (ANTARA)  -  Indonesia, which has so far sent some six million migrant workers overseas and received an average annual remittance of Rp100 trillion, has recently received requests for more workers from a number of employer countries.          The recently revealed requests for immediate employment came from the Middle Eastern countries where about 1.5 - 1.7 million Indonesian migrant workers are already working.          Kuwait, one of the Middle Eastern countries, for example, has asked for an immediate placement of at least 1,600 migrant workers in different fields.          Requests also came in from South Korea which needs some 10,500 Indonesian migrant workers and Germany which is ready to give jobs to about 7,000 Indonesian nurses.          According to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, about 30 major companies in Kuwait need about 1,600 Indonesian professional workers in various fields.          "A total of 30 leading companies in Kuwait have expressed their desires to recruit 1,687 professional workers from Indonesia to be employed in various fields," the embassy said in press statement made available to ANTARA last week.          The embassy has on earlier occasions facilitated a business meeting between major Kuwaiti companies and the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).          Companies attending the business meeting included M.H. Al Shaya, Kuwait Automotive Imports Company, Radisson Blu Hotel, Kout Food Group, McDonalds Kuwait, Al Ghanim Industries, Carrefour, Mustafa Karam & Sons Company and Costa Del Sol Hotel.          These Kuwaiti companies expressed their need for workers, some even wanting to recruit before the end of the current fasting month, the embassy said.          According to the report, they need about 100 employees in the fast food sector, 200 retailers at hypermarkets, 409 workers in the manufacturing field, 300  transportation bus drivers, 150 welders, 163 automotive technicians and 365 nurses.          In his address, Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Ferry Adamhar said that Indonesian workers working in mainstream sectors are spread out across various parts of the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf countries.          "Employer companies have expressed desires to recruit Indonesian professionals after seeing their hard work and dedication," he claimed.          South Korea, which has so far absorbed 39,652 Indonesian migrant workers, has also asked for 10,500 additional migrant workers from Indonesia.          "South Korea needs 10,500 workers from Indonesia in 2012, and 5,108 Indonesian workers have been sent to South Korea as of July 5 this year," said Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), in Aceh province over the weekend.          Jumhur said Indonesia's quota for placement in South Korea reached 10,500 this year. Workers will be employed in the industrial, manufacturing, service and agriculture sectors.          The BNP2TKI head said that besides Kuwait and South Korea, Germany has also expressed its need for migrant workers from Indonesia. Germany needs some 7,000 workers, particularly nurses.          "Thus, Indonesian migrant workers, particularly from the nursing and midwifery sector, have a great market potential overseas. What remains to be done is to prepare them and to be ready to bridge the overseas demand for nurses and midwives," Jumhur said.          After all, nurses from Indonesia are known for their unmatched quality. This has been proved in Japan where Indonesian nurses excelled their Philippine counterparts in state exams.          "Many Indonesian and Filipino nurses work at Japanese hospitals and nursing homes for the elderly people," Jamhur said in Pekanbaru at the Riau province on Monday.          He said that the results of a national exam conducted by the Japanese government on March 26, 2012, revealed that a total of 69 (34 nurses and 35 care workers) Indonesian nurses passed the exam in comparison to only  13 nurses from the Philippines. The nurses attended the exam following a year¿s work experience at Japan.          He said that the placement of nurses in Japan was through a government-to-government (G-to-G) program carried out via the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Tokyo in November 2006.          BNP2TKI on behalf of the Indonesian government followed up on the agreement in cooperation with the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) which represented the Japanese government.          Through the cooperation, BNP2TKI was asked to prepare 1,000 nurses for work in Japan. "We will sign a new agreement if the 1,000 quota is already met following the continuation of the program," Jumhur said.          He said that the agency¿s main task was to seek employment programs for migrant Indonesian workers overseas. In line with this, the agency was seeking and securing overseas employment opportunities for skilled Indonesian migrant workers.          "While the need for meeting the overseas employment market is very urgent, the supply of workers is still being furnished,"  he said at a general lecture to nursing students held in the Imelda Indonesian Workers General Hospital at Medan, North Sumatra.          Jumhur said BNP2TKI has appointed a foreign and promotions cooperation deputy to seek and secure employment opportunities while mapping out employment markets overseas for the domestic workers.          The BNP2TKI chief hoped that the many institutes of higher learning in Indonesia and other educational and skill institutions would continue to teach techniques that are used abroad.          Moreover, migrant workers have proven their ability to mitigate the impact of global economic crisis in the country and have as a result sent an annual remittance of about Rp100 trillion.          Around six million Indonesian migrant workers work in 116 countries with remittance over Rp100 trillion annually, Jumhur said.         Most of the Indonesian migrant workers work in mainstream sectors, and those working in fringe sectors are found only in 14 countries.          But this year, according to Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, remittances from Indonesian migrant workers abroad are estimated to reach only Rp65 trillion (more than US$6.5 billion).          "The figure is taken based on data from banks and non-bank financial institutions only," he said while breaking his fast with migrant workers at the Sahara Lestari training center for overseas workers in Condet, East Jakarta, on Sunday.***2*** (T.A014/INE/a014) 30-07-2012 17:09:0

2011 HISTORIC YEAR FOR OVERSEAS MANPOWER PLACEMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 30 (ANTARA) - Head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) Moh Jumhur Hidayat said 2011 was a historic year for the Indonesian manpower agency.          He said that this year his agency was able to apply an online system which enable provincial and district level governments, which so far were not involved, to control the placement of workers overseas which had often created problems.          "Previously, regional governments complained because they were not involved in  the handling of Indonesian migrant workers. Many of their residents worked abroad without their knowledge. Now all this has been improved," he said.          In addition, the  BNP2TKI launched a call center service to accelerate the process for workers to obtain justice facing labor problems.          Not less important is its achievement to handle Indonesian migrant workers problem overseas.          "Only this year did the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono conducted an overall evaluation over the dispatch overseas of Indonesian domestic helpers after 40 years of problematic trap," he said here on Thursday.

GOVT PONDERING 'LIVE-OUT' SYSTEM FOR ITS MIGRANT WORKERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 28 (ANTARA) - Often called "foreign-exchange income heroes" Indonesian migrant workers overseas, particularly those employed as domestic helpers, often get into trouble because of  disputes with their employers or are maltreated or even tortured, sexually harassed at their work places.         In most of the cases that have happened so far, they ended up as the losers  due to lack of protection or access to legal aid, and this fact led many  parties at home to criticize the government for failing to pay proper attention to migrant workers problems.     Therefore, the government is now considering introducing a 'live-out' system for its workers abroad, calling on Indonesian representatives abroad to pay more attention to them and asking Indonesian lawyers to provide them with legal advice when they are facing legal problems abroad.         "With the application of a 'live out' system, Indonesian domestic helpers (TKI) do not need to stay 24 hours at their employers' houses," Moh Jumhur Hidayat, head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Workers Abroad (BNP2TKI), said.          The BNP2TKI chief said Indonesian domestic helpers were often exposed to the risks of maltreatment by and conflict with their employers if they were employed on 'live-in' terms that required them to stay 24 hours in their employers' homes.

SAUDI ARABIA TO PROTECT RI MIGRANT WORKERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 2 (ANTARA) - For as long as 40 years, Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia had been running the risk of experiencing  all sorts of unexpected difficulties ranging from maltreatment by employers to brushes with the law because of the absence of a legal umbrella regulating their presence in the Middle Eastern country.          But this situation is soon to change for the better with the conclusion of  an agreement between  the Indonesian and Saudi governments  to improve their services for placement  and protection of Indonesian workers in that country. The agreement was reached at a Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia held in Jedda over the weekend.         "Thank God, we have signed a statement of intent toward the signing of an MoU with Indonesia," Saudi Arabian Manpower Minister Adel Mohammad Fakeih said after attending the meeting.          Fakeih said the two countries needed to sign the MoU as a legal umbrella for the placement and protection of about 1.5 million Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia. The statement of intent  is expected to be followed by the signing of an MoU by both governments within the coming six months.          The statement of intent was signed between Moh Jumhur Hidayat, head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Overseas (BNP2TKI), in his capacity the Indonesian chief delegate to the SOM, and  Adel Mohammad Fakeih who head the Saudi delegation.          "The agreement would lead to  maximal protection of the Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia," Jumhur said.          Through the Statement of Intent, both sides agreed the establishment of a joint working committee to formulate a memorandum of understanding that would be signed between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.          He said that the placement of Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia now would enter a new phase of good protection and respectable services as the supervision of both countries would be involved under the MoU as a legal umbrella.          According to Jumhur, the letter of intent contains a number of matters relating to the arrangement, placement and protection of Indonesian workers so that they would be able to work comfortably and securely with protection.          After all, Jumhur said,  Adel Muhammad Fakieh has assured that the MoU was needed as a legal umbrella in settling various TKI problems, while at the same time it served as a protection scheme for about 1.5 million TKIs working in Saudi Arabia.          Based on the statement of intent, the placement and protection of TKIs included efforts to respect workers' dignity with the provision of an insurance program, health, legal counseling and an interpreter team when they are facing various problems and disputes.          "Ahead, Indonesia wants TKIs to work in Saudi Arabia securely and comfortably in accordance with their desires, " Jumhur said.          He said that over the past 40 years of Indonesian workers' placement in Saudi Arabia, both countries had never yet made any joint statement of intent or commitment to produce an MoU because so far Saudi Arabia had never made any agreement with any worker exporting countries.          "So this is the first agreement reached during the SOM of both nations in Jedda aimed at the eventual signing of an MoU between the two," Jumhur said.          He said that the Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia   had brought many advantages to Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. But so far they had faced many problems. Therefore, the SOM is a historic meeting because it constituted the first of its kind ever held over the past 40 years.          Before the SOM was held Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar expressed hope that the SOM would produce maximal results.       "The Saudi minister of manpower understands Indonesia well so that we should be able to convey our desires as well as possible," Minister Muhaimin said when he held a meeting with Moh Jumhur Hidyat.          The minister expected that the meeting would result in an agreement to improve placement services, protection and employment contracts of TKIs and other things such as the availability of complete information on the employers, better access to communication, insurance protection and accommodation.          Of the 1.5 million TKIs in Saudi Arabia, about 650 thousands are estimated to have been staying in accredited areas of the Indonesian Consul General in Jedda, and some 800 thousands others are in the Indonesian Embassy's accredited areas in Riyadh.          Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have also faced problems with the big number of Indonesian migrant workers overstaying their visas.          Initially, overstayers were those of problematic workers who fled their employers' homes  to various boarding facilities partly because they were not paid, treated inhumanely, had heavy workloads, worked not based on their contracts, had sexual harassment, had been abused, were not competent in work and  faced cultural shock.          But some other overstayers have also been visitors who come to Saudi Arabia to perform a minor haj pilgrimage or umroh.          An estimate has put the number of Indonesian oversayers in Saudi Arabia at 50,000. The government had planned to help some 25,000 return home this year for lack of funds while the remaining 25,000 will still have to stay there until they see what the government will do with them.          Until last March, 2,073 of the planned 25,000 have been facilitated to return home, and early in May, the government returned again 2,349 overstayers. The MV Labobar, a ship carrying the 2,349 migrant workers  from Jidda, Saudi Arabia, arrived at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok seaport in the first week of May 2011.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/18:10/a014) 02-06-2011 19:37:

SAUDI BRIDGES HOMES TO INDONESIAN OVERSTAYERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 5 (ANTARA)  - Tens of thousands of Indonesians who overstayed their visas and have taken  refuge under several bridges in Saudi Arabia are facing an uncertain fate as the Indonesian government is only planning to repatriate 50 percent of them this year.          Of the 50,000 over-stayers, the government is only planning to help some 25,000 return home this year for lack of funds  while the remaining 25,000 will still have to stay there until they see what the government will do with them.          This year, the Indonesian government only has Rp128 billion in funds to repatriate some 25,000 over-stayers. Until last month, only 2,073 of the planned 25,000 have been facilitated to return home.          Yet, the government promises that it will do its best to bring  home in stages its nationals who have overstayed their stay permits.          Head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers (BNP2TKI) Moh Jumhur Hidyat said in written statement to a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday said that of the 50 thousand Indonesian nationals/migrant workers (WNI/TKIs), the Indonesian government had repatriated 2,073 in six batches since February 14, 2011.          In the near future, the government will again return 2,927 others using ship "Labobar" of the state-owned shipping firm PT Pelni, so that the plan of repatriating 5,000 TKIs in the first phase would immediately be realized.          For 2011, the BNP2TKI has not yet set any budget amount for the repatriation of the remaining 45,000 TKIs.  "We need additional budget for the continuation of the repatriation," he said.         He said  the relevant agencies needed to coordinate and gather funding based on the results of a  meeting recently held at the office of the coordinating minister for people's welfare.          For the repatriation of 5,000 TKIs for the first phase, the government has to spend Rp37.2 billion, of which Rp5.02 billion were owed to the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Rp24.5 billion to Pelni and Rp7.8 billion to others.          Of the Rp7.8 billion, 2.5 billion came from the ministry of religious affairs, Rp400 million from the ministry of social affairs, Rp1.8 billion came from the BNP2TKI, Rp393 million from the ministry of health, Rp1.9 billion from police and Rp550 million from the office of the ministry of people's welfare.          Jumhur predicted that the number of Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia reached 1.45 million with some 650 thousands staying in accredited areas of the Indonesian Consul General in Jedda, and Rp800 thousands in the accredited areas of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh.          He said that the overstayers were initially problematic workers who fled their employers' homes  to various boarding facilities partly because they were not paid, treated inhumanely, had heavy workloads, worked not based on their contracts, had sexual harassment, had been abused, were not competent in work and  faced cultural shock.          Besides, some overstayers are visitors who come to Saudi Arabia to  perform a minor haj pilgrimage or umroh. There are  umroh travel agencies which have not adopted a good management system so that pilgrims have the potentials to over-stay. This is due to the weaknesses of the system such as the lack of coordination between the Indonesian government and its Saudi counterpart.          After all, manpower suppliers and agencies overseas tend to have business orientation only so that they ignore protection and security aspects for workers. In addition, sanctions against manpower supplier firms (PPTKIS) which break the law, are still weak.          Even some PPTKIS do not provide enough guidance for employers and fail to provide data on TKIs arrivals for the Indonesian Embassy.          Therefore, the government will tighten its control on travel agencies organizing minor hajj pilgrimage (Umroh). Moreover, some 30 percent of overstayers who have been sent home turned out to have come from umroh travel agencies.          "Records on Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) who overstayed in Saudi Arabia and have been returned to Indonesia show that about 30 percent of them came from umroh pilgrimage groups," Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said in a hearing with the House of Representatives on Monday.          He said that the overstayers worked illegally after they performed religious rituals. "They want to perform rituals and work at the same time," he said.  "Some others said they wanted to go home for free (waiting for repatriation) or wanted to follow their husbands who worked in Saudi Arabia," he added.          Based on the findings, the manpower ministry has asked the ministry of religious affairs to tighten its supervision on travel agencies organizing umroh pilgrimage.          The manpower ministry will also tighten its control over irresponsible manpower supplier firms that are found to have neglected their workers in Saudi Arabia.          "In order not to repeat this problem the manpower ministry and other relevant agencies will seriously tighten the mechanism in the sending of migrant workers, especially to the Middle East," the minister said.     (T.A014/A/HAJM/12:55/f001 )05-04-2011 12:49:5

RI MAY IMPOSE MORATORIUM ON WORKERS DISPATCH TO SAUDI ARABIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 19 (ANTARA) - Following recent abuses of Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian government is considering to impose a moratorium on the dispatch of its workers to that country or to impose a condition where only selected Saudi employers would be allowed to recruit Indonesian workers.          Manpwower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said after attending a limited Cabinet meeting on Friday that the government might issue a moratorium if both countries failed to find mutually advantageous agreement regarding the placement of Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.          "I think (moratorium could be imposed on workers dispatch to) Jordan and Saudi Arabia. But a thorough evaluation must be made in the first place until we can draw a conclusion that a moratorium would be imposed or not," the minister said.           The minister referred to a number of cases of maltreatment and murder of Indonesian workers who worked in that country. With regard to Jordan, Indonesia has issued a moratorium and ordered manpower supplier companies to stop sending workers to that country until both nations reached mutually beneficial agreement.          Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa (23) who hailed from Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara province, was found hospitalized last Nov 8 for serious injuries on her body believed to have been inflicted by her employer in Medina.          On Nov 8, the Indonesian Consulate General in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, received a report that the 23-year-old woman had been taken to King Fahd hospital in Medina. She had reportedly been tortured by the wife of her employer and sustained serious injuries to many parts of her body.          Haryatin, an Indonesian migrant worker (TKI) hailing from Blitar, East Java, is now blind due to torture by her employers in Saudi Arabia. Visited at the Undaan ophthalmic hospital in Surabaya on Thursday, the 32-year-old woman said she had been tortured for as long as three years.           Another report said that violence also happened to Kikim Komalasari who was reported  to have been killed by her employer in Abha. Her body was found later in a garbage dump.          "Moratorium on dispatch of workers to Saudi Arabia could be one solution to the violations against our workers. But a decision on issuing a moratorium must be accompanied by a comprehensive evaluation," Spokesman of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration Suhartono said.           Apart from issuing a moratorium, the government may also set a requirement that Indonesian workers may only be employed by Saudi employers who had been selected and recommended by the Saudi government.           "Indonesia should select their prospective employers,"  Law and Human Rights Minister  Patrialis Akbar said before attending the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office.          Patrialis said foreigners abroad who intended to employ Indonesians should first obtain a recommendation from their respective governments. The recommendation should state that the would-be employer fulfilled the requirements for  employing  Indonesians. This was necessary to prevent Indonesian workers from being mistreated or abused.          The minister said the government would do its best to provide protection for all Indonesian citizens staying overseas. "We have to provide maximum  protection for our citizens wherever they are," he said.          According to Suhartono, moratorium could be one of the solutions to overcome the frequent abuses against Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia.          Yet, Presidential Spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah said earlier on Thursday  that the government would not be issuing a  moratorium on the dispatch of Indonesian migrant workers to Saudi Arabia related to the Sumiati case.          He said the case of Sumiati cannot be considered as a general phenomenon of all the Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the work condition in that country.           In his directives at Friday's limited cabinet meeting, President Yudhoyono said there were at present a total of  3,271,584 Indonesian migrant workers overseas with 4,385 case of maltreatment including violent act and sexual harassment.          "The percentage of maltreatment against our migrant workers is 0.01 percent but anyway we have to make sure they have protection and proper treatment in accordance with their working contract," the president said.           The president is therefore to send a special team  to Saudi Arabia to study the case of Indonesian migrant worker (TKI) Sumiati who had been tortured by her employers.          The president made the decision following an internal meeting at his residence at  Puri Cikeas Indah, Bogor, Thursday night. The team would study the employment climate in Saudi Arabia to guarantee protection for migrant workers.          Head of the Indonesian workers placement and protection agency (BNP2TKI) Moh Jumhur Hidayat said a joint team handling the case of torture of Sumiati binti Salan Mustopa had left for Saudi Arabia Thursday night.          He said here in his electronic message that the joint team was led by State Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Ameliasari Agum Gumelar.          Meanwhile,  the Saudi government is committed to bringing the perpetrators to the court.          Speaking to the press following a meeting at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Al Hayat said the Saudi government was committed to referring the case to the court.          "We have taken steps to investigate  the case in order to bring the perpetrator to justice," he said. He said the Saudi government would not turn a blind eye to the case and would order the authorized agencies in Saudi Arabia to follow it up.          "I believe that the authorized agencies in Saudi Arabia have taken the necessary steps to refer the case to the court," he said.     (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:50/H-YH) 19-11-2010 21:00:2