Amirull Salihing
Two ferries from Johor took 174 deportees to Batam this week. On Thursday, 24 Indonesians left Stulang Laut Port in Johor Bahru. On Friday, 150 more left Pasir Gudang Port. Another route, the Johor to Batam ferry to Bengkong, runs from two ports.
Specifically, the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Johor Bahru said 244 people were sent home in three stages. All had served their sentences in Malaysia for legal and immigration offences. KJRI issued its statement on Friday, 13 November.
Here is how each stage ran, who was on board and what KJRI warned about job offers. However, the statement did not name the offences.
Deportees to Batam from Stulang Laut and Pasir Gudang
On Thursday, 12 November, the second stage took 24 Indonesians from Stulang Laut Port to Batam. They sailed on the Citra Legacy 5 ferry. Notably, this was the smaller of the two Johor sailings.
On Friday, 13 November, the final stage took 150 Indonesians from Pasir Gudang Port to Batam. They sailed on the Subang Malindo ferry. Importantly, this was under a special repatriation scheme called Program M. The Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) in Putrajaya runs it.
Together, the two Johor sailings took 174 people to Batam, by our arithmetic. Meanwhile, the first stage ran on Wednesday, 11 November. In it, 70 Indonesians left Melaka International Port for Dumai aboard the Indomal Kingdom ferry.
Furthermore, the stages ran with the Kemayan Immigration Detention Depot in Pahang. The Pekan Nenas depot in Johor and JIM Putrajaya also took part. However, KJRI did not say which depot held which group.
Who the deportees to Batam and Dumai were
In total, the 244 people included 181 men, 60 women and three children. KJRI also listed their home provinces. East Java had the most, at 53. North Sumatra followed with 51.
Likewise, West Nusa Tenggara had 47, Aceh 30 and Riau 18. Overall, those five provinces add up to 199, by our arithmetic. KJRI did not name the provinces of the other 45.
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Moreover, KJRI’s Integrated Protection Task Force escorted every departure. However, it did not say how many officers were on each ferry. Nor did it say which ferry carried the three children.
As a result, the numbers are large this year. From January to mid-November 2026, KJRI Johor Bahru helped deport 5,602 Indonesians. Most came from East Java, at 1,128. West Nusa Tenggara followed, at 965.
Consulate warning after deportees to Batam arrive
Meanwhile, Consular Affairs Officer II Leny Marliani urged workers not to fall for illegal recruitment. She said safe migration is only possible through official channels. These include the Manpower Agency. They also include the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI) and the Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection (KemenP2MI).
In addition, KJRI thanked JIM Putrajaya, KemenP2MI and BP3MI. Likewise, it credited immigration offices, local manpower offices and worker protection posts. The Health Quarantine Center also played a part.
However, the statement named no recruiters or schemes. Likewise, it did not say how they were hired. Nor did it say if any had been victims of trafficking.
In short, 174 deportees to Batam left from two Johor ports. They were part of 244 Indonesians sent home. KJRI warns workers to use only official job channels. So check any offer with BP3MI first.
Sashidaran Gunathevan
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