FOREIGN MINISTRY HELPED REPATRIATE 93 THOUSAND INDONESIANS LAST YEAR

Jakarta, 2 Rabiul Akhir 1437/12 January 2016 (MINA) – The Foreign Ministry has helped repatriate 93 thousand Indonesians facing problems of immigration while being abroad last year.

“During the past year, we had originally planned to help repatriate 50 thousand Indonesians, but it turned out  we were able to ensure 93 thousand citizens returned home, Director of the Protection of Indonesian Citizens and  Legal Entities at the Foreign Ministry, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said here on Monday, Antara News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Other Indonesians were repatriated home under a special scheme because they were involved in drug abuse, human trafficking and other criminal offenses, he said.

Iqbal said 210 of the Indonesians were deported by six countries on charges of being linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

Citing an example, he said 193 nationals who were mostly in small groups and families were deported from Turkey for allegedly attempting to cross the Syrian-Turkish border to join the ISIS.

After they were deported to Indonesia, they were handed over to the National Agency for Counter-Terrorism (BNPT) and the National Polices anti-terror squad Densus 88 to undergo de-radicalisation process, he said.

“Most of them have acknowledged that they wanted to cross over to Syria. Some of the 193 Indonesians have returned from Syria, and some of them have repented their action,” he said.  (T/P010/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)