We often hear stories of foreigners in hot water for working illegally in Bali, but now here’s a story of a group of Balinese workers in trouble for illegally working abroad.
Though in this case, it seems much more a situation of underpaid Balinese getting exploited, than foreigners working here ‘off the books.’
Tribun Bali has been updating its newsfeed throughout the day with reports on 13 Balinese women who are said to be detained in Malaysia for working as spa therapists in the Kuantan area without proper permits.
I Gede Putu Ardika, one of the detained workers’ husbands, says his wife and her colleagues had been working at the Berjaya Mega Mall and are now in Malaysian police custody.
“The information I got from a female Indonesian worker who has lived in Malaysia is that my wife and her friends are detained for 21 days. But because there’s not enough evidence to bring action against the company, three more months have been added to their detainment period,” Ardika told Tribun.
He says he’s been trying to get help for his wife and her 12 other comrades from the regent of Karangasem. The dedicated husband says he also plans to report the case to Bali Police over the weekend.
“Then on Sunday I will convey this to the governor in the Bali ‘Free Podium to Talk About Anything’ Event in Renon,” he added.
The Head of the Karangasem Department for Man Power and Transmigration I Gusti Agung Ngurah Sudarsana says his office hasn’t received such a report but he can speculate that the women were likely offered “big” salaries in exchange for working overseas without valid permits.
