PH, Indonesia Consulates in Hong Kong Join Forces Vs. Illegal Employment Practices

Philippine Consul General Antonio A. Morales (second from left) and Indonesian Consul General Tri Tharyat (third from right) lead the discussion between representatives of their respective consulates general at the Indonesian Consulate General in Causeway Bay on 11 July 2018. The meeting resulted in a decision to take joint actions to safeguard their respective nationals from unscrupulous practices by some employment agencies, employers, and money lenders. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

HONG KONG 13 August 2018 – The Consulates General of the Philippines and Indonesia in Hong Kong have decided to combine their efforts in protecting their respective nationals against unscrupulous and potentially illegal practices by employment agencies, money lenders, and employers who prey upon unsuspecting migrant workers in the city.

Philippine Consul General Antonio A. Morales and Indonesian Consul General Tri Tharyat agreed to take joint actions to address issues of common concern, initially against alleged loan sharks who charge exorbitant interest rates against the Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers who are oftentimes minimum-wage earners.

The top envoys of the two countries met for the first time on 11 July 2018 following the arrest a week earlier by Hong Kong Police of a suspected loan shark who made HK$3 million (US$382,000) in interest charged against loans extended to more than 880 Indonesian and Filipino helpers, who were obligated to surrender their passports as collateral.

“We hope our combined efforts will lead to the eventual elimination of this insidious practice,” said Consul General Morales, who emphasized that given that passports are the property of the state, the unauthorized seizure and withholding of passports without the consent of the holders is illegal under Philippine law and will result in the immediate blacklisting of violators.

Of the 887 passports seized from the local money lender, nine are from Filipinos and the rest belong to Indonesians.

The case, which was initially filed by the Tsuen Wan District Police as “lending money without license” and “lending money with excessive interest”, has been elevated to the New Territories South (NTS) Regional Police Headquarters. Consul GeneralTri said police has yet to refer to allegations on illegal withdrawal of official travel documents.

Consul General Morales related how no convictions have resulted in a similar case in 2016, where a complaint was filed with the police against a Hong Kong loan shark who held 247 Philippine passports.

Consul General Tri also expressed similar hopes for results from the joint action, citing the previous successful collaboration by the two consulates that resulted in the ruling by Hong Kong’s Labour Department in November 2016 on the inclusion of new clause on cleaning outward-facing windows to safeguard the occupational safety of migrant workers.

The two Consulates General will decide the extent of their collaboration to address a number of problems affecting their nationals, who combine to account for more than 90 percent of the total number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. END

For more information, visit www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinHK/

The Consulates General of the Philippines and Indonesia, led by Consul General Antonio A. Morales and Tri Tharyat (sixth and fifth on the front row, respectively) met at the Indonesian Consulate General in Causeway Bay on 11 July 2018 to combine their efforts in protecting their respective nationals against unscrupulous and potentially illegal practices by employment agencies, money lenders, and employers who prey upon unsuspecting migrant workers in Hong Kong. (Hong Kong PCG photo)