National

Baby Traffickers Arrested
Tuesday, 02 August, 2005 | 19:22 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Jakarta Police and the Ministry of Social Affairs have made progress a case involving overseas baby trafficking.

The police have succeeded in arresting the main suspects in this case, Rusdiana, a citizen of Tangerang, Banten province and MRT, who helped in the making of the babies’ birth certificates.

The police are still also pursuing other suspects.

According to Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, the illegal adoption of babies involved courts as well as immigration authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The adoption of the babies took place in May 2005 without paying attention to the procedure laid down by the government.

”This states that one must receive a recommendation from the Minister of Social and have lived for at least two years in Indonesia,” said Chamsyah in a press conference held in Jakarta on Monday (01/08).

Chamsyah said that Rusdiana was assigned to find poor women who were willing to get pregnant and give up their babies for adoption.

The babies were then handed over to JW, an American citizen who was the go-between in the ordering of babies by foreigners.

Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig.Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said that Rusdiana had persuaded potential victims with the promise that their babies would be treated well and grow healthy.

Rusdiana also promised that all costs related to the babies’ delivery would be borne by the foster parents.

As the result, one mother gave birth on 10 occasions.

However, every time these mothers gave birth, they only received between Rp250,000 and Rp500,000 to cover the costs of massages and traditional medicines.

Rusdiana admitted that she had arranged the adoption of between 60 and 80 babies, in cooperation with a man with the initial name of X, an employee of a social organization that issues adoption licenses.

“We have so far uncovered cases involving 30 babies who were sold,” said Ekodanto.

According to the Deputy Police Chief, Rusdiana requested fees to arrange adoption documents from prospective foster parents amounting to between Rp15million and Rp30 million for the courts and between Rp25 million and Rp50 million to the Foreign Ministry so that the babies could leave Indonesia.

Most of the babies were sold to Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and the USA. (Istiqomatul Hayati-Tempo News Room)