TRIBUNNEWS.COM, ANKARA Then Muhammad Iqbal, the Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey, revealed the news that Indonesian citizens from Bali were reported to be victims of fraud and were abandoned in Istanbul.
The Indonesian Ambassador said the Indonesian citizens had been handled by the Indonesian Representative in Turkey since February 2022.
Of the 29 Indonesian citizens, 5 people have returned to Bali, 16 were evacuated by the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul from illegal shelters to temporary shelters for the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, 8 other people are scattered and work illegally in a number of cities in Turkey.
“We will focus on providing protection to victims and punishing perpetrators, both living in Bali and in Turkey,” said Iqbal in a statement posted on the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal, Monday (14/3/2022).
Ambassador Iqbal said the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, had communicated directly with Foreign Minister Retno regarding this case.
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He asserted, this is entirely a case of fraud and the placement of Indonesian workers in a non-procedural manner with strong indications of the crime of trafficking in persons.
“They were dispatched illegally by a network of individual Indonesian citizens. One person lives in Istanbul and several others live in Bali,” Ambassador Iqbal added.
Based on information, the Indonesian citizens were promised to work in Turkey with a large salary legally and be given a decent place to live.
For this reason, the victims paid various amounts with an average payment of Rp. 25 million and a maximum of Rp. 40 million.
