TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsMalaysia deports more Indonesians as part of Program M
The deportations were part of Malaysia’s Program M, a two-year collaboration between the Malaysian Immigration Department and Indonesian diplomatic missions in Peninsular Malaysia to facilitate the repatriation of 7,200 Indonesian illegal migrant workers.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Two diplomats from the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru (third left and third right) are flanked by four fishermen from Bintan regency, Riau Islands, prior to the fishermen's repatriation on July 2, 2026, at the consulate general in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The fishermen were cleared of criminal charges of trespassing into Malaysian waters without proper documents. (Courtesy of Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru/-)
T
he Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, has repatriated 152 Indonesians deported for various immigration violations, including four fishermen who were cleared of criminal charges after they drifted into Malaysian waters.
Identified only as Z, NF, A and H, the fishermen from Bintan regency, Riau Islands, were repatriated on Thursday from Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal in Johor Bahru to Tanjung Pinang Port using a ferry at 9 a.m. local time (8 a.m. Jakarta time).
Dhania Afini Lestari at the consulate general said the four fishermen, crew members of two boats, were freed by a local court and their status was declared as witnesses. The two skippers, however, face continued legal action.
“Since we received the arrest notification, we moved swiftly, coordinating with Malaysian Marine Police, the Fisheries Office and Immigration Office,” Dhania said in an official statement received by The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
“Through legal assistance provided by the consulate general’s retained lawyer, the four crewmen were freed without having to be held at an immigration detention center.”
The traditional fishermen from Numbing village were housed at the consulate general’s shelter before being repatriated. During the waiting period, the consulate general facilitated the processing of immigration documents, including the Check Out Memo (COM) and Special Pass from Malaysian authorities as pre-repatriation administrative requirements.
Officers from Malaysian Marine Police (PPM) Region 2 intercepted fishing vessels KM Hai Yang 3 and KM Baruna Jaya around Aur Island, Johor, on May 30.
