Yet another Migrant Worker Dies in Saudi
Thursday, 23 October, 2008 | 19:17 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Grobogan:Musyarofah, an Indonesia migrant worker (TKI) from Grobogan died without anyone knowing where she had worked in Saudi Arabia. “We heard the news from the village chief who was contacted by phone by the agent that arranged her job,” said Waluyo, 42, the victim’s husband yesterday.


The sad news was received by the Putat village chief, Suhadi, from an Overseas Employment agent based in Grobogan last week. According to Waluyo, Musyarofah used to work for an Abdullah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the last 18 months. Sometime before the month of Ramadan, Waluyo received a call from his wife saying she was unwell. “I told her to come home,” Waluyo said.


The Grobogan Employment Service said they have received the report on Musyarofah’s death. “We got the report from her village chief,” said Joko Purwadi, head of Grobogan’s Migrant Workers Training and Placement. “We are having great difficulty bringing her remains home because the Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia still has not issued an official report,” Joko explained.


During this year, there have been at least eight illegal migrant workers from Grobogan who died at their work place. Three of them died in Taiwan, three others in Saudi Arabia, and two in Jordan and Singapore, respectively.


Meanwhile, the families of two workers from Banyumas who were victims of domestic violence in Malaysia and Bahrain, last Tuesday came to the Banyumas Legislative Council (DPRD) to complain. Puji Lestari, an Ajibarang resident, is still in Malaysia. The other victim, Nur Hayati,a Lumbir resident working in Bahrain, is suffering trauma due to alleged violence committed by her employer.


Widyaningrum, member of Banyumas DPRD’s Commission D said she had communicated with the related offices. “This office has coordinated efforts with the companies to resolve the problem soonest,” she said.


BANDELAN A | ARIS ANDRIANTO