October 27, 2025 | 08:51 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Affairs, stated emphatically that Cambodia is not a destination for Indonesian migrant workers. He based this warning on the fact that Cambodia is unsafe and lacks adequate protection systems for migrant workers. The Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection (P2MI), he claimed, is actively campaigning for this information.
"The P2MI Ministry has repeatedly warned that the country is not included as a placement destination for migrant workers because there is no protection system in place," Muhaimin said, as monitored on the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment Affairs' YouTube channel, Monday, October 27, 2025.
The General Chair of the National Awakening Party (PKB) stated that Indonesian migrant workers who are already working in Cambodia will receive protection efforts from the Coordinating Ministry and all cross-sectoral agencies.
Muhaimin estimated that there are currently around 100,000 PMI working in Cambodia, including traders who sell Indonesian goods and cuisine, ranging from Soto Lamongan, Rujak Cingur, to Pecel Madiun.
Muhaimin urged these citizens to maintain close coordination with the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Phnom Penh. He confirmed that the KBRI is always open and actively coordinating to ensure Indonesian citizens there "do not become victims of fraud or human trafficking."
He also urged Indonesian citizens intending to work abroad to be thoroughly informed and to avoid choosing unauthorized or dubious Migrant Centers in their respective areas.
Surge in Online Scam Cases
The Minister's warning aligns with data from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which previously noted a surge in online scam cases this year. These cases are closely related to human trafficking in several Southeast Asian countries.
Data obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates a dramatic increase in these cases. In 2020, there were only 15 online scam cases.
"However, that number has had a drastic increase, reaching 7,628 cases in March 2025," said Komnas HAM Chairperson Anis Hidayah in a press release on Tuesday, July 30, 2025.
Several Southeast Asian nations, including Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Laos, and Thailand, are noted as locations with the highest frequency of online fraud crimes and corresponding increases in human trafficking cases.
Furthermore, data from the KBRI Phnom Penh shows a sharp increase in the number of deaths of Indonesian citizens in Cambodia, rising by up to 75 percent during the period from January to March 2025 compared to the same period the previous year.
Nabilla Azzahra contributed to this article.
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