Press Statement
10 August 2004

Reference: Ms. Eni Lestari Adi
Chairperson, Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia di HK (ATKI)
c/o APMM, No.2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Contact Nos. 9608-1475 / 2723-7536

Scrap the Indonesian Transmigration Decree No. 104-A!
Implement Genuine Policy on Direct Hiring!

The Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia di Hong Kong (ATKI-HK) or the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Hong Kong is strongly against the additional requirements for direct hiring being imposed by the Indonesian Consulate among the Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong through SK No. 032/KP/XB/VIII/2004.

Likewise, we reiterate our demands for the immediate scrap of the Transmigration Decree 104-A.

In mid-2003, the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong implemented the policy of direct hiring through the efforts of migrant organizations like ATKI. However, the implementation of this policy forced us to comply with its requirements of (1) Statement letter from parent/guardian or husband containing no objection to the domestic helper without agency (attached with her parent/guardian or husband’s copy of Indonesian ID card and Family card; (2) Domestic helper has to send a letter to Indonesian agency informing that she is renewing her contract without agency; (3) Notarization of our employers guarantee letter among others.

These requirements only put additional burden to us and to our employers and practically prolong the processing of our working contract. Worse, this policy can result to the refusal of our employer to renew our working contract. It also entails us paying additional fees in order to secure such documents from our country.

More so, due to the inefficient and backward system of compiling public documents and information from Indonesia and the manipulation being done by recruitment agencies in Indonesia on some personal information of Indonesian domestic helpers, the additional requirements can create confusion and will only jeopardize our working condition in Hong Kong.

We believe that the new policy is like a cosmetic make-up to cover the joint exploitation perpetuated by Indonesian government and private recruitment agencies to its workers abroad in the guise of direct hiring. This policy pretends to implement direct hiring but in effect is pushing us to the vulture’s lair.

This policy is just one of the biased provisions of the Transmigration Decree No. 104-A - a policy that only serves the interest of our government and the recruitment agencies in exporting more Indonesians abroad and making more revenues and profits out of our meagre salaries and exploitative conditions.

We call on President Megawati Sukarno Putri through the Consul General in Hong Kong Mr. Paiman Turnip to heed our call to immediately scrap the Transmigration Decree and other policies that do not serve the interests of Indonesian Migrant Workers.

It is high time for President Megawati to put migrants concern on her priority agenda#