UNITED INDONESIANS AGAINST OVERCHARGING (PILAR)
C/o APMM, GF No.2, Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Phone: (852) 2314-7316 Fax: (852) 2735-4559 Email: atkihk_2000@yahoo.com

Press release
25 May 2008
Reference:
Eni Lestari,
Spokesperson
(852) 96081475

Passport confiscation of agencies, still on Indonesian migrants slam Consulate for inaction

"Again, an empty promise of service and protection."

This was declared by Eni Lestari, spokesperson of the Unite Indonesians Against Overcharging or PILAR, in public forum attended by 1,000 Indonesian migrant workers at Causeway Bay to describe the failure of the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong to keep to its promise of punishing employment agencies who confiscate passports of Indonesian migrants.

Participants in the forum later marched on to the Indonesian Consulate to bring out their concerns.

Lestari reported that in a survey of the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers (ATKI-HK), around 40% of Indonesian migrants in Hong Kong, especially the newcomers, do not have their passports in their possession as these were confiscated by their employment agencies upon their arrival and during their employment in Hong Kong.

"Last month, we submitted the collected data on this issue to Consulate. Up to now, no decisive action has been done against these erring agencies," Lestari said.

ATKI-HK conducted the survey in January this year that named 40 agencies who are withholding the passports of Indonesian migrant workers.

"This is most unjust and illegal. This modus operandi is being used to perpetuate yet another exploitative practice of overcharging Indonesian migrants by forcing them to pay seven months worth of their salary," she added.

Lestari said that the Indonesian government has been allowing such overcharging. Indonesians coming to Hong Kong to work as domestic workers are made to pay HK$21,000 and the payment is done by deducting HK$3,000 form their monthly wage despite the HK government's regulation of not more than 15% deduction from the domestic worker's salary.

"The confiscation of passport is against any law in Hong Kong and even in international law. More importantly, it is used to perpetuate a most unjust practice against Indonesian migrant workers. Even for this reason alone, the Indonesian Consulate should pull be true to its words for we tired of their empty promises," Lestari concluded.#

ATKI-HK
Assosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia Hong Kong

c/o: APMM, G/F, No. 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Phone: +852 23147316 Fax: +852 27354559
Blog: atkihongkong.blogspot.com
Email: atkihk_2000@yahoo. com