Indonesia govt asked to evacuate migrant workers from Lebanon

ANTARA News
07/28/06 20:26

Jakarta - The National Commission on Women has asked the Indonesian Government to provide protection for about 10,000 illegal migrant workers in Lebanon following Israeli aggression against Palestine and Lebanon, a spokeswoman said here Friday.

"We have asked the government to give protection and immediately evacuate not only 175 Indonesian legal migrant workers but also over 10,000 illegal migrant workers (from Lebanon)," Commision spokesperson Tati Krisnawaty said.

The excuse (for non-action) that it was not easy to trace the whereabouts of Indonesian illegal migrant workers in the Middle East was undfounded, she said.

Tati said the Commission was not blaming the government for having sent migrant workers to conflict-prone countries but "we only urged the government to immediately help the migrant workers whether they are legal or not because our real enemy is the war itself which has destroyed peace."

The National Commission on Women, she said, along with the commissions on human rights of other Asian countries condemned Israel`s brutal aggression against innocent people and thus urged the United Nations to help end the Israeli actions.

An Indonesian migrant worker in Lebanon, Siti Maemunah (24) was killed in an Israeli attack on Lebanon. Siti was survived by a 13-month baby back home.

Siti`s body was kept in Al Houkumm Al Tyir in Tyre, Lebanon. The Kuwaiti Embassy in Damascus planned to evacuate her body but the hospital still could not bring the body out due to an Israeli blockade.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Migrant Workers Association Chairman Miftah Farid said it was reasonable that over 10,000 Indonesian illegal workers were in Lebanon since its neighboring country, Jordan, became the first transit for the illegal migrant workers who wanted to work in the Middle East.

Jordan imposes visa on arrival which facilitates many people to enter the Middle Eastern countries.

"Jordan has already signed an agreement with Indonesia on the sending of the Indonesian migrant workers that it is natural that many illegal migrant workers arrived in Lebanon through Jordan," she said. (*)

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