by line : Retno Intani ZA *)
Taipei, Taiwan – The Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (IETO) in Taipei is committed to provide protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) in Taiwan and ensuring that they get their rights as Indonesian Citizens (WNI) working abroad.
“Even though Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the state is still present to provide protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers in Taiwan,” said IETO Labor Department Analyst Noerman Adhiguna to five Indonesian journalists who were visiting Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday (9/2/2023).
The five journalist which also members of the Indonesian Cyber Media Union (SMSI) are Aat Surya Safaat (Chief Editor of Asatu online), Retno Intani (Editor Board of indonesiatoday.co), Umi Syarifah (Chief Editor of Sudut Pandang), Jon Heri (Chief Editor of jodanews.com), and Yono Hartono (Chief Editor of korandetak.com ).
Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Taiwan invited them to attend the “Taiwan Lantern Festival” recently.
According to Noerman, currently the number of PMI in Taiwan has reached more than 250 thousand people. With such a large number, it is inevitable that there will be several cases involving PMI, both those with valid immigration status and those with overstayer status.
IETO Taipei, he continued, is proactively to advice so that PMIs are always get the latest situation. The topic of IETO Taipei’s appeal is quite diverse, starting from the socialization of local regulations, being wary of fraudulent job vacancies on social media, to the dangers of drugs.
These appeals were made face to face through various IETO Taipei activities, through the PMI Task Force spread throughout Taiwan, as well as through IETO Taipei social media. IETO Taipei also handles cases involving Indonesian citizens in Taiwan.
Specifically for the PMI segment, IETO Taipei does not only handle PMIs who are involved in employment cases, but also provides assistance to PMIs who face legal cases, seriously ill, traffic accidents, and to return the bodies of PMIs who have died to their areas of origin.
“So, in principle, IETO Taipei views PMI not only as a contributor to the country’s foreign exchange, but also as Indonesian citizens who have their own rights and obligations,” said Noerman.
The IETO Taipei Labor Department analyst stated, IETO Taipei is present in Taiwan to ensure that all the rights of PMIs working in Taiwan can be fulfilled in accordance with applicable regulations. Strategic partner.
Meanwhile, IETO Taipei Trade Department Analyst Muhammad Fuad Hamzah on the same occasion said that Taiwan in the field of international trade is a strategic partner for Indonesia.
Taiwan is one of the gateways for Indonesia to join the international supply chain in various products such as medical devices, golf equipment, bicycles, ships and electronics.
Taiwan itself has a competitive advantage in technology and capital, especially in machine manufacturing. On the other hand, Indonesia’s exports are growing and moving forward in producing more value-added products.
“I believe the relationship between Indonesia and Taiwan has been complementary and mutually beneficial. This is included in the trade. Taiwan has become a major player with very good export performance, with the main destinations going to Korea, Japan, China and the United States,” said Muhammad Fuad.
In this regard, he continued, Taiwan needs and imports a lot of raw materials from Indonesia, ranging from seafood, coffee, cocoa, furniture, cable insulation, float glass sheets, bicycle tires to cars.
It was also stated that Indonesia’s exports to Taiwan continued to increase from year to year. As of November 2022, Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports to Taiwan have reached USD 7.4 billion. The trade balance of the two reached 3.3 billion USD.
“Based on these facts, I see this as a positive indicator. I believe trade between Indonesia and Taiwan will continue to grow and develop towards better changes,” said the IETO Taipei Trade Department Analyst.
*) Editor Board of indonesiatoday.co
