The Deadly Deceiving Snare

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Indonesian crew on board a Chinese-flagged ship, Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118, when docked at the Batam Navy Base, Riau Islands, Wednesday (8/7/2020).

Signing up is usually an easy and fast process without any lengthy administration. In a time when it is difficult to find a job, many young people are quickly attracted. However, without realizing it, they have entered into a trap.

Early 2018, Samfarid Fauzi, 34, a resident of Kramat district, Tegal regency, Central Java, saw an advertisement for a job as a ship crew member (ABK) on a Facebook group. In the advertisement, the ABK recruiting company only mentioned two requirements, namely having an identity card and a family card.

Also read: Gaining Profits from Repeated Suffering

There were no other requirements. Farid, as Samfarid Fauzi is called, who had no background in fisheries, was not asked to submit a certificate of competence or language skills. Before being sent to China, Farid was given training only once, namely training in net repair.

My husband\'s work contract expired in April 2020. But he has still not been sent home and has been ordered to keep working,

Farid, who was desperate after losing his job, was tempted to register. "From the first time seeing the ad on Facebook until he left for China, the process was very short, less than three months. Later, we realized that what was fast and easy was not necessarily good. This is the example, this mess,” said Inggrid Frederica, 32, Farid\'s wife.

Quoting Farid\'s story, Inggrid said her husband was often treated inhumanely. For example, he was forced to work for 20 hours a day, fed improper food, such as expired food, and paid up to 8 months late.

"Even worse, my husband is currently working more than the agreed contract. My husband\'s work contract expired in April 2020. But he has still not been sent home and has been ordered to keep working,” said Inggrid.

Also read: Protect Migrant Workers

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Police officers evacuate the body of Indonesians from the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118 ship after anchoring at the Batam Navy Base, Riau Islands, Wednesday (8/7/2020).

Another crew member told Inggrid that the ship where Farid worked could not berth because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Farid was transferred to another ship and sent back to sea.

The torture of Indonesian migrant workers on foreign fishing boats until death is often associated with the name Tegal in Central Java. This is because the companies that are said to have recruited the workers are located in Tegal.

Also read: Protecting Indonesian Citizens Abroad

"Previously, we didn\'t know the companies were located in Tegal city. These companies have never processed permits or reported their workforce recruitment activities," said Tegal Manpower Office head R. Heru Setyawan.

One of the recruiting companies from Tegal that suddenly became famous is PT Mandiri Tunggal Bahari (MTB). Its commissioner, Sutrisno, and its director, Muhammad Hoji, have now been named defendants at the Tegal District Court. The prosecutor charged them under articles 85 and 86 of Law No. 18/2017 on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers and Article 4 of Law No. 21/2007 on human trafficking. The two are facing imprisonment of up to 15 years and fines of up to Rp 15 billion.

These companies have never processed permits or reported their workforce recruitment activities

DOKUMENTASI WARGA TELUK LEHO

Andri Juniansyah (left)  and Reynalfi Sianturi, two Indonesian citizens who fled from the Lu Qing Yuan Yu Ship 901 by jumping into the Malacca Strait. They were rescued by fishermen from Karimun, Riau Islands, Saturday (6/6/2020).

The victims of MTB include Reynalfi Sianturi, 22, from Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra. His story is similar to Farid\'s. Promised to work in a textile factory in South Korea with a salary of Rp 25 million per month, Reynalfi was instead employed as a crew member of a Chinese fishing boat, Lu Qing Yuan Yu 901. He had to work 20 hours a day, his salary was not paid for seven months, his cell phone was confiscated and he was prohibited from communicating with fellow Indonesian migrant workers.

Because he could not stand it anymore, together with Andri Juniansyah, 30, another crew member from Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, he chose to run away. When they estimated that they were close to Indonesian waters, Reynalfi and Andri jumped into the sea on June 7, 2020.

Also read: Waiting for The Elder Son to Come Home

After jumping, they drifted for seven hours in the sea until they were finally found by an Indonesian fisherman. They were taken ashore and escorted to the Karimun Police, Riau Islands.

Learning from incidents such as those of Farid and Reynalfi, sailors and youths began to scrutinize the mode of the rogue agents.

"Based on my experience, if the requirements are very easy, the process is short, let alone asking for a deposit at the beginning, it is definitely a bogus recruiting company. A good company usually takes into consideration educational background, work experience in fisheries, requirement for competency certificates, and strict recruitment for the ship crew members to be employed," said Ahmad Farhan, 23, a ship crew member from Banjaran district, Tegal, who worked on a Japanese-flagged ship.

(AGE/AIN/ CAS/ DIT/ ERK/FRN/ IKI/JOG/ NAD/ NDU/RAZ/ REN)