Asia & Pacific
Two Indonesian women are believed to be held by scam operators in Myanmar, prompting the Foreign Ministry to renew its warning against looking for jobs abroad through unofficial channels
Indonesian migrant workers repatriated from Myanmar waits for airport transfer upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Feb. 28, 2025. Eighty-four Indonesian migrant workers are repatriated from Myanmar through Thailand after they were found of working in illegal cyber scam centers in ThaiMyawaddy, myanmar. (Antara/Putra M. Akbar)
The Foreign Ministry has urged people seeking work abroad to exercise caution amid an ongoing investigation into a report that two Indonesian women are being held for a ransom of Rp 200 million (US$11,151) by online scam operators in Myanmar.A viral video of the two women, identified by Indonesian media as Ayu Elsih and Susi, shows the pair with their hands bound by zip ties and pleading for help to return home.
The ministry’s Citizen Protection Director Heni Hamidah said the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon had sent a diplomatic note to Myanmar authorities the day after receiving a report about the women on July 15, requesting assistance in locating and rescuing them.
