KUCHING: The Consulate-General of the Republic of Indonesia here has been coordinating and communicating with the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consul-General Yonny Tri Prayitno said his government had begun preparations to enhance border security following the extension of the movement control order (MCO).
“We are also coordinating with our governor in West Kalimantan to find better measures in reaching our Indonesian citizens in Sarawak,” he told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted yesterday.
He said the consulate also had been assisting Indonesian citizens in Sarawak affected by the MCO.
“The consulate has channelled food aid containing basic necessities to some 22,000 Indonesians living in Sarawak since the second MCO,” he added.
With the recent move taken by the Indonesian government to ban its citizens to go home for Aidilfitri, Yonny said the local authority in West Kalimantan only allowed Indonesian citizens from the province to return to their home towns.
“And this only applies for passport and visa that have expired during this MCO.
“Indonesian citizens from other parts of Indonesia are required to stay put at their respective places. They are not allowed to leave Sarawak.
“The Sarawak government has allowed the consulate in mitigating issues faced by our citizens. On March 23, we have assisted 35 Indonesian citizens to return to Pontianak by escorting them to the border,” he explained.
In view on the negative impact of rat trails along the border between Sarawak and Kalimantan during the pandemic, the consulate noted that rampant breach cases mostly involved those who were undocumented and working in the state illegally.
He admitted that it was difficult to ascertain the exact number of Indonesians in Sarawak, including those undocumented.
“Most of them landed in Sarawak as illegal workers because they were duped by bogus recruitment agents, who were active in recruitment drives in villages, promising them good-paying jobs without the relevant documents,” he said.
