Indonesian president to halt sending of domestic workers abroad

JAKARTA — Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wants to soon stop the sending of domestic migrant workers to other countries, arguing that doing menial chores abroad undermines Indonesian pride and dignity.

Jokowi told the Antara news agency on Friday in Surakarta, Central Java, that he felt “ashamed when discussing the matter in [recent] bilateral talks with Malaysia. I have instructed the manpower minister to make a clear road map and [set a timeline] to stop the program. We must have pride and dignity.”

As part of the plan, the government would repatriate 1,800 migrant workers. “We have repatriated 800 workers. More will follow suit,” Jokowi said.

There are some 2.3 million Indonesian migrant workers worldwide, 1.2 million of whom were undocumented, according to the president.

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