Jakarta (ANTARA News) - At least 2,700 Indonesian nationals have been
deported from Saudi Arabia, and some 267 of them arrived here with
Vice President Jusuf Kalla and his entourage on Friday.
Kalla and his wife Madame Mufidah arrived at Soekarno-Hatta
international airport aboard a Garuda Boeing 747-400 jetliner after
performing a minor hajj pilgrimage and witnessing the washing of the
Kabah in the holy land.
Earlier, there had been no certainty about the time of the deportation
but Kalla`s visit to Saudi Arabia helped expedite the expulsion of the
Indonesian migrant workers and the minor hajj pilgrims who had
overstayed in Saudi Arabia.
"I am happy to have returned to Indonesia on the same aircraft as the
vice president. Otherwise. I would have come under extreme stress and
desperation," said Nasitoh, a female worker hailing from Sukabumi,
West Java.
Nasitoh ran away from her Saudi Arabian employer who had not paid her
salary for more than one year.
During the flight from Riyadh to Jakarta, Kalla and Immigration
official Muhammad Indra took a few minutes of their time to greet and
patiently listen to the complaints of the deported Indonesians. .
According to Nasitoh, more than 600 Indonesian problematic migrant
workers had been taken into custody by Saudi Arabian police and
Immigration officials at an accommodation for foreigners.
She said most of them were under great stress because they had no
money at all and wanted to return home soon but did not know when.
Meanwhile, Rina, another worker who returned with the vice president,
said she ran away from her employer because she could not stand the
repeated instances of sexual harassment she was subjected to by her
employer.
"I was afraid of my employer because he frequently insulted and chased
me," Rina said. (*)
Copyright (c) 2008 ANTARA
