Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA) – The Riau Islands Regional Police is cooperating with ASEAN countries in handling human trafficking.”This cooperation is being carried out to uncover, prevent, and break the chain of trafficked Indonesian migrant workers (PMI),” Head of Public Relations for the Riau Islands Police Senior Commissioner Jansen Avitus Panjaitansaid here on Wednesday. The cooperation with ASEAN nations for tackling human trafficking has been established well, he added. The National Police (Polri), he said, has an International Relations Division (Divhubinter), which has been tasked with organizing the National Central Bureau (NCB) – Interpol activities to combat international and transnational crimes at the bilateral and multilateral levels. For instance, Panjaitan explained, on January 7, 2022, the Riau Islands Police and the Polri Divhubinter collaborated with the Immigration Department of Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Police in investigating illegal PMIs in Malaysia. Indonesia and Malaysia worked together to identify and repatriate the bodies of Indonesians whose ship sank in Johor Bahru waters in Malaysia. “This activity was carried out well thanks to good relations established between countries through state consuls and police consuls,” he said. In addition, to curb trafficking cases, his side has made appeals through mass media and installed warning banners at several locations. It has also coordinated with the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) and other relevant agencies in carrying out prevention, handling, and law enforcement related to trafficking cases. “We also carry out a focus group discussion (FGD) to increase the public’s role in anticipating illegal PMI smuggling activities in the Riau Islands area,” he said. He informed that the number of trafficking cases handled by his party has dropped as of May 2023, compared to 2022. In 2022, 78 cases were recorded with 642 victims rescued and 139 suspects identified, while as of May 2023, 27 cases have been recorded with 87 victims and 42 suspects.
Source: Antara News Agency