Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Immigration signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Cambodia's Immigration Authority to prevent human trafficking and address immigration challenges.
The agreement was reached during the Second Bilateral Meeting of the Indonesian and Cambodian Immigration in Bali on Monday.
The cooperation covers the exchange of information, technical assistance, and human resource capacity development to protect Indonesian and Cambodian citizens from illegal migration.
"This meeting allows us to deepen mutual understanding, share experiences, and formulate innovative solutions to immigration issues in both countries," Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Agus Andrianto, noted in a statement on Monday.
He affirmed that this partnership was prompted by the rising number of Indonesian citizens working non-procedurally in Cambodia and being caught in gambling and online fraud.
Meanwhile, Acting Director General of Immigration Yuldi Yusman stated that both countries recognized the importance of assigning Indonesian immigration attachés in Cambodia to strengthen coordination and cooperation in immigration.
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"As an effort to combat human trafficking, we will appoint focal points in each country, as well as intensify the exchange of immigration information and share best practices in resolving immigration problems for Indonesian citizens in Cambodia," he noted.
He stated that Indonesia is actively involved in combating human smuggling through a comprehensive strategy involving cooperation in bilateral, regional, and international forums.
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A significant step has been the inclusion of a human smuggling clause in Law Number 6 of 2011 on Immigration, which allows for strict sanctions against smugglers and their facilitators.
Additionally, Yusman highlighted that immigration authorities help prevent the departure of non-procedural migrant workers by delaying the issuance of passports or rejecting and postponing the departure of Indonesian citizens suspected of being illegal migrants.
During the January-April 2025 period, immigration officers at checkpoints of international airports and ports across Indonesia had postponed the departure of five thousand prospective non-procedural migrant workers.
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He also reported that immigration offices throughout Indonesia postponed the issuance of 303 passports during this period.
His team is also actively preventing human trafficking through raising awareness about immigration issues, especially in villages that send the most migrant workers.
"Community involvement and increasing public awareness in vulnerable areas are the main components of the prevention strategy," he stressed.
