UAE: 3 Indonesian families, including 4 undocumented children, repatriated

To date, as many as 164 mothers, fathers, and children have been flown back to their home country

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Fri 29 Dec 2023, 4:09 PM

Last updated: Sun 31 Dec 2023, 3:16 PM

The Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has facilitated the repatriation of seven Indonesian expats, including four undocumented children.

Three families comprising a father and his two children, and two mothers with a child each were flown to Jakarta. The information, social, and cultural section at the embassy noted that the children, all aged under seven years old, were found to be undocumented.

Husin Bagis, Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE, pointed out that this was the third repatriation carried out in collaboration with the immigration authorities of the UAE.

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“This third repatriation, consisting of seven Indonesian citizens and their children, could not have been conducted well without the support and facilitation from the UAE Government, especially from the immigration authorities.”

The repatriation is part of the embassy’s mother and child repatriation programme, which includes a DNA testing programme held in June. This has been done in collaboration with Indonesia’s National Police’s international relations division, which is one of the requirements for repatriation.

Once in Indonesia, the expats will be handled by the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency, which will then facilitate their return to their respective regions. The expats hail from Cirebon, Cianjur and Indramayu in Indonesia.

Bagis underlined that the repatriation, which consisted of not only mothers but also a father showed that the embassy prioritises gender equality.

“This time the returnees did not only consist of mothers but also fathers. This is part of the efforts of the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to protect every Indonesian citizen and child in an accredited country, without any exception,” Bagis underlined.

To date, as many as 164 Indonesian mothers, fathers, and children have been repatriated, the embassy added.

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