Twenty-six Balinese migrant workers who were evacuated from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country safely landed at the Ngurah Rai International Airport yesterday.
They flew to Bali from Jakarta on AirAsia Flight QZ-7518 after undergoing quarantine upon arrival at the capital city’s airport on March 3. Before departing to Bali, they were greeted by the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Protection Agency Head, Benny Rhamdani, at the bureau’s office in Jakarta.
All of the migrant workers are women who were understandably traumatized by the ongoing war.
Ni Ketut Muliasih, originally from Bangli, said that she worked as a spa therapist in a city in Ukraine for seven months before her office was bombed by the Russians. Like many other migrant workers, Muliasih was the breadwinner of the family by working abroad. Being forced to leave the country would mean less income for the family.
Muliasih’s husband, Wayan Amin, said they are bracing for possible financial setbacks but added that he was more delighted with the fact that his wife returned home to him and their kids.
“For me, my wife being home and seeing the kids is my hope from the start,” he said, adding that he prayed every day since the news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine broke out.
Ni Wayan Sukerayani, originally from Payangan District in Gianyar, northern Bali, and worked in Kyiv, said that she was forced to hide under a bunker with others (mostly Indonesian nationals in the city) on Feb. 24.
“Around 3am [local time], we were woken up by a [civil defense] siren. We sought protection in the bunker. Sometimes we had less than two hours of sleep from Feb. 24,” she said, adding that she often heard rocket attacks and explosives from outside.
Officials of the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv came to their rescue on Feb. 27, she said. The Indonesian evacuees reportedly flew home to Indonesia via Romania.
Having been working for five months in Ukraine (her working contract was actually for one-and-a-half years), Sukerayani expressed her willingness to return to Ukraine in the future.
“My boss was nice and the payment is good,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dewi, originally from Singaraja, conceded that coming back to Indonesia would cause a financial blow for her family. However, she is grateful to be back to her homeland nevertheless.
“Of course, I was so scared. And, yes, it’s such a loss but it’s more important to save ourselves,” she said.
