Polda Metro Jaya Assists Kidney Selling Victims in Cambodia

The police checked the physical and psychological health of the victim who sold her kidney to Cambodia. This medical examination is to find out the complaints of witnesses and victims after kidney surgery.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

HUMAS POLDA METRO JAYA

A victim of illegal kidney trade from Cambodia who was subjected to TPPO underwent a physical examination at the Health Center of the Metro Jaya Regional Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Monday (24/7/2023). The examination included checking the initial condition of the scar from the kidney removal surgery.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Polda Metro Jaya accompanies several victims of trafficking in persons or human trafficking from Indonesia who sell kidneys in Cambodia. This is a follow-up step after the police dismantled the shipment of Indonesian citizens from Bekasi City for this illegal procedure abroad.

On Monday (24/7/2023), three men who were witnesses and victims of the case underwent health examinations at the Medical and Health Center (Dokkes) of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police. The medical team checked the initial physical health of the three individuals following kidney removal.

Head of the Health Department of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Hery Wijatmoko, explained that the examination aims to determine the complaints of the witnesses after their kidney operations. "On average, they have all recovered, even though it has only been one month, but physically the condition of the postoperative wounds is good. Later, we will follow up with laboratory and radiology examinations to determine which organs were removed," he said.

Hery added that they will also provide psychological assistance to the patients in collaboration with other police departments for patients who live outside the jurisdiction of the Jakarta Metro Police.

One of the witness and victim who is not mentioned by name said that he underwent surgery at a hospital in Cambodia on June 25, 2023. "For now, there are no complaints. Just feeling easily tired. Fortunately, there are no problems with urination, but sometimes there are a little bit of bubbles," he said.

Regarding the TPPO case, the Head of Public Relations of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko stated that the Metro Jaya Regional Police is still conducting intensive investigations into the case after arresting 12 suspects following the discovery of a rented house for potential donors in Bekasi, West Java.

HUMAS POLDA METRO JAYA

Head of Public Relations of Metro Jaya Regional Police, Commissioner General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko and Head of the Medical Division of Metro Jaya Regional Police, Commissioner General Hery Wijatmoko (left to right) explain the health mentoring agenda for victims of organ trafficking in Cambodia undergoing physical examinations at the Polda Metro Jaya Medical Center, Jakarta, on Monday (24/7/2023).

Also read: The Crime of Selling Kidneys for Money Is Real

The twelve suspects included nine intermediaries selling kidneys with the initials H (40), D (30), A (42), E (23), M (21), S (30), R (26), HS (43), G (31), and L (23).

Then, police officer Aipda M alias D and an immigration employee with initials AH alias A were involved. State officials helped facilitate this TPPO, even though the police officers who were being disciplined also hindered the investigation since the discovery of the candidate donor shelter headquarters in Bekasi on Monday (19/6/2023) early morning.

One of the suspects who acted as a middleman, Hanim or H (40), even became a donor initially. When interviewed by journalists in Jakarta on Friday (21/7/2023), she first donated her kidney in 2018 due to her family's economic factor.

Due to financial difficulties, he found a kidney donor group on Facebook. The group announced the need for kidney donors with certain blood types and specific requirements. Interested, he then sent a message to the social media group administrator.

"After talking and agreeing, I was immediately sent to the broker's rental house in the Bojonggede area, Bogor. Initially, I was processed at one of the hospitals in Jakarta. But because there were many stages involved and we needed approval from my family, I failed to donate in Indonesia because my wife did not agree," he said.

Failing to donate a kidney in Jakarta, Hanim decided to stay at the broker's house for about a year. He then lied to his wife by saying that he had a project job. In July 2019, he was sent to Cambodia by the broker. The broker covered the costs of health checks, passport issuance, and airline tickets.

Also read: Sweeping Clean Up TIP, Don't Just Be Field Operators

There, he met another broker named Miss Huang who took him to the hospital. In Cambodia, he found a patient from Singapore who was a suitable match to receive his kidney, so the transplant procedure was performed. His kidney was valued at IDR 120 million at the time. The money was then used to buy a house for his parents in Subang, West Java.

The broker apparently entrusted himself to become the coordinator of Indonesian donor candidates in Cambodia. Once again, he lied to his family that he got a project job in Cambodia. His duties include arranging the consumption for the donor candidates while they are in Cambodia. He was promised a commission of Rp 15 million from the cost of buying a kidney from the hospital to the donor.

The task stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It resumed accepting donor candidates at the end of 2022. After becoming active again, brokers like Miss Huang have increasingly requested donors from Indonesia. From initially only 5-7 donor candidates per request, it then became 10-20 donors when India restricted donors from leaving the country.

This condition actually harms Hanim. Because not all patients who were sent to Cambodia passed the health test. Out of a total of 40 potential donors who she accompanied to Cambodia, only 35 people successfully underwent transplantation and received payment from the hospital.

HUMAS POLDA METRO JAYA

TIP victims selling Cambodian network kidneys underwent a physical examination at the Metro Jaya Police Biddokkes Center, Jakarta, Monday (24/7/2023).

Meanwhile, Hanim has suffered losses because she and other brokers had funded the departure of a potential donor beforehand. She admits that she still owes the hospital IDR 700 million due to the failed donor.

"Actually, I've always wanted to stop, since 2019, because I'm taking care of so many children (potential donors), the risk is huge, I can barely afford it. It's just because my broker and Miss Huang require me to continue to help under the pretext of 'poor children who need our help, what if they don't make it to their trip, then fail, someone commits suicide or becomes a pickpocket or something?'," he said.