The Indonesian government has decided to repatriate all of its migrant workers - Opens in new tabcurrently in Jordan due to repeated claims of abuse and non-payment.
The first batch of 24 workers out of a total of 385 were brought home on a Thai Airways flight last week. The Indonesian government plans to step up repatriation efforts after the country's presidential elections, scheduled for July 8th.
Cases of maltreatment and pay disputes mean that migration to Jordan has now become a major headache for the Indonesian authories, according to Teuku Faizasyah from the Foreign Ministry
"Frankly, they are big burden for Indonesian embassy in Amman, Jordan. The most important is that they have to be repatriated as soon as possible and they obtain their rights of salary. Currently, we accumulate their salary from their employers, and the amount is quite big,"
Indonesia is considering extending the ban on its nationals working in Jordan to a year, in order to gain greater leverage over the Jordanian authorities.