By Bernama
Batam : The US Embassy in Indonesia in its bid to filter application for overseas work visas made by Indonesian, has foiled numerous attempts of human trafficking, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported.
Press attache at the US Embassy, Tristram Perry, said here on Friday night that many of the visa applicants in the past were found to have forged their documents.
Perry made the statement to clarify circulating information in Batam that thousands of Indonesian citizens, including babies were being sold annually to the United States.
“Infant trafficking into the United States is impossible,” Perri said, adding that the data on the screening to foil the trafficking in person could be seen at the office of US Embassy.
However, Perri admitted that there were several Indonesian women who fell victim of sexual exploitation and labour exploitation in the United States but the number was not big.
He added that the government of Indonesia was really cooperative with the US in an effort to foil human trafficking.
Meanwhile, several House of Representatives (DPR) members in Jakarta on Friday reacted sharply to a US Department of Justice report, publicized by a television station recently, that thousands of Indonesian citizens were being sold to the US annually.
They said the practice must be categorized as “organized human trafficking” and therefore it should be halted.
“The selling of thousands of Indonesian citizens to the US every year is obviously something very shocking which the two sides (Indonesia and the US) cannot allow to continue,” said Yusron Ihza Mahendra, vice chairman of the House’s Commission I (foreign and defense affairs, information) on Friday.
“It is almost certain that this practice is being carried out through the perpetrator’s agents in Indonesia and also in the US itself,” Mahendra added.
He said the Indonesian and US governments should cooperate with each other to put an immediate end to the criminal practice.
“This is absolutely necessary,” the legislator representing the Star and Crescent Party (PBB) said.
Meanwhile, Gayus Lumbuun, a member of the House’s Commission III from the Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle (PDI-P) faction, said the government, through its agencies in the field, should more strictly scrutinise applications for overseas work visa made by Indonesians.
“Applications for overseas work visa should be based on the working skills possessed by the applicants concerned, and such skills are obtained through the right trainings,” he said.