Police Arrested 2 Persons in Relation to Human Trafficking Case in Myanmar

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Indonesian police arrested two people who are allegedly involved in a human trafficking case which trapped 20 Indonesian people. The victims were sent to Myanmar and abused.

The two suspects, a male and a female, were arrested in West Java on Tuesday night. Both of them were arrested in different places in Bekasi.

Police Brigadier-General Djuhandani Rahardjo Puro told journalists on Wednesday that both suspects are still being investigated.

The police have publicly identified the suspects as Andri Satria Nugraha and Anita Setia Dewi.

Andri and Anita are allegedly sending 20 Indonesians without following the proper procedure. The police have raided Andri's home in Tarumajaya and Anita's apartment in the Springlake Summarecon Tower.

The duo face human trafficking laws alongside migrant workers protection laws. Both are facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to Rp15 billion (US$1 million).

20 Victims in Myanmar

Previously, 20 Indonesians were sharing their videos on social media that they were abused by their employers. They were begging for help from the Indonesian government.

The victims were situated in Myawaddy which is located on the Myanmar and Thailand border. Indonesia's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, said that the remote location made it difficult to reach. 

Last week, all of the victims were successfully evacuated. The Embassy of Indonesia in Bangkok was involved in the evacuation.

An official from the Attorney General of Indonesia said that the 20 victims came to Myanmar via Thailand. 

"In this case, those 20 people entered Thailand legally, but crossed into Myanmar illegally. Therefore, it was necessary to have intensive coordination with Thailand's authorities to avoid further legal problems," said I Ketut Sumedana, a spokesperson of the Attorney General office.

Minister Retno Marsudi last week revealed that more than 1.841 Indonesians have been saved from human trafficking in the last three years, excluding the 20 victims in Myanmar. 

The victims were lured with high salary offers via social media. Director for the Protection of Citizens in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, has warned the citizens to be careful with such offers. 

Judha said that the Indonesians who became the victims were ordered to scam other Indonesians. One of their tactics is disguising themselves as women to target reckless men. 

Minister Retno said these online scam cases have been rampant in Southeast Asia. 

Two days before the ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Secretary General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn hoped the regional countries would collectively fight all forms of human trafficking.

"I think it's important that ASEAN tackle this issue collectively instead of individually, but working together to address this issue," said Kao Kim Hourn after attending the ASCC Council Meeting in Bali.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, has promised that the declaration against human trafficking will be agreed by the leaders.

Mahfud notes that there are different kinds of human trafficking cases, and thus countries will need more specific agreements.

"The treaty can be connected later with other more technical agreements according to the specifications," said Mahfud MD. 

Nanda Perdana Putra and Benedikta Miranti T.V contributed to this report.