Arya News - The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the repatriation of 274 Indonesians from Melaka International Ferry Terminal in Malacca and Port Dickson Port in Negeri Sembilan to Dumai, Riau, and Tanjung Balai Asahan, North Sumatra.
BATAM – The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru has facilitated the repatriation of 3,389 Indonesians as of July, including the largest repatriation wave of 274 people on Saturday.
All the Indonesians were sent back home after completing legal and immigration administrative processes in Malaysia through Melaka International Ferry Terminal in Malacca and Port Dickson Port in Negeri Sembilan.
The jurisdiction of the consulate general in Johor Bahru, Johor state, also covers the Malaysian states of Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Pahang.
Consular coordinator at the consulate general, Jati Heri Winarto, said the deported Indonesians consisted of 162 men, 109 women, two children and one baby girl. Most of them are from five provinces of East Java, North Sumatra, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara and Riau.
“The consulate general gives special attention to vulnerable groups, such as a migrant worker who is in TBC treatment, a mother who is seven months pregnant, two children and a four-month-old baby,” he said in a written statement.
The repatriation process of the 274 Indonesians was divided into three batches, sent to two major ports in Sumatra.
Dumai Port in Riau received the bulk of the deportees with 249 people who were previously held at Machap Umboo Immigration Detention Depo (DTI) in Malacca and Kemayan DTI in Pahang.
Meanwhile, Tanjung Balai Asahan Port in North Sumatra received 25 deportees who were previously held at Lenggeng DTI in Negeri Sembilan.
Jati hoped all repatriated Indonesians arrived safely home and use their deportation ordeal in Malaysia as a valuable experience. He called on the deportees to also educate the public in their hometowns on the risks of working abroad without following the proper channels.
“If one day they want to work abroad again, make sure to find information from trusted sources and follow official procedures from the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers [BP2MI],” he said.
The repatriation of large number of Indonesians was thanks to close cooperation between the consulate general and the Malaysian Immigration Department and local DTI authorities.
Upon arrival in Indonesia, the deportees were handled by coordination between the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Service Agency (BP3MI), Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Post (P4MI), immigration offices, social welfare agencies and manpower agencies.
Previously, the consulate general facilitated the repatriation of 90 Indonesians from Stulang Langit Ferty Terminal in Johor Bahru to Batam Center International Ferry Terminal in Batam, Riau Islands, on July 15.
Most Indonesians deported from Malaysia in the first half of 2026 was repatriated through Batam Center International Ferry Terminal because of proximity, as Batam lies only a short distance away, two hours by ferry, compared to other ports on Sumatra Island.
The ferry trip from Malacca to Dumai is between two and two-and-a-half hours while the journey from Port Dickson to Tanjung Balai Asahan is about five hours.