Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — More than 80,000 Indonesian migrant workers currently working in Cambodia were illegal. Indonesian officials states that many workers were employed in online gambling operations and scam networks.
Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding said that nearly all of the Indonesian workers in Cambodia entered the country through unofficial channels, often facilitated by unregistered agents.
“All of them are undocumented because we don’t have a formal labor placement agreement with Cambodia,” Karding told reporters on Tuesday.
He noted that Cambodia, along with Myanmar, has become a new destination for migrant workers particularly young Indonesians seeking jobs abroad through non-procedural and illegal means.
“Nationally, the highest numbers of undocumented workers go to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. But now there’s a growing trend toward Cambodia and Myanmar, especially among younger people misled by fake job offers on social media,” he said.
According to Karding, the majority of Indonesians working in Cambodia are involved in industries considered illegal in Indonesia but legal in Cambodia, such as online gambling and fraudulent schemes.
“Some work as online gambling operators, in restaurants, or as scammers. But most are involved in gambling and scamming,” he explained.
Karding expressed concern that many of these workers are educated young people who fell victim to fictitious job postings shared online. He also acknowledged that the ministry faces significant challenges in monitoring Indonesian workers in Cambodia due to their undocumented status.
“The majority of those who end up in trouble abroad are people who went through unofficial, illegal routes,” Karding said.
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Karding states that the majority of Indonesian migrant workers who who end up in trouble while working in other countries were dominated by those who went through unofficial, illegal routes.
He added that his ministry recently received reports of an Indonesian worker dying in Cambodia. Authorities are currently attempting to identify the individual, but the lack of documentation complicates the investigation.
“We are still tracking the case. Since most of these workers went illegally, we don’t have their data. They only get attention once something goes viral,” Karding said.
To combat the growing problem, the Indonesian government has temporarily shut down several unauthorized recruitment agencies suspected of luring young people into illegal overseas work.
The government continues to warn the public particularly young people against falling for fraudulent job offers, and emphasizes the importance of going through official channels when seeking employment abroad.
(Raidi/Agung)
