Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up three "seafarer corners" to enhance the protection of Indonesian seafarers working on foreign-flagged vessels.
According to Rina Komaria, the Head of the Southeast Asia Region at the Directorate of Protection for Indonesian Citizens (PWNI), these facilities are strategically located in Montevideo (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), and Kaohsiung (Taiwan) based on case patterns in the respective maritime areas.
“The initiative arose during the COVID-19 pandemic when many Indonesian crew members were stranded on ships, making it difficult for us to ensure their logistics and welfare,” she explained on Wednesday (18/12/2024), as quoted by antaranews.com.
The seafarer corners aim to strengthen coordination with local authorities and address crew member concerns effectively. Indonesian embassies abroad also provide shelters for citizens facing problems, particularly in regions with high migrant worker concentrations, such as Malaysia.
Rina also urged Indonesian migrant workers to register with local embassies or use the "Peduli WNI" portal, enabling faster assistance in emergencies.
(mg/inp/pr/nm)