Indonesian workers in M’sia sends home US$2.1 bln in 2011, says central bank

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JAKARTA: Migrant Indonesian workers sent home a whopping US$6.1 billion between January and November last year, with US$2.1 billion remitted from Malaysia during the period.

The figures recorded by Bank Indonesia, the central bank, did not include money sent directly by them or via non-bank institutions which were not registered by the central bank.

Indonesia’s Manpower Employment, Settlement and Protection National Body director Baslian Krisnayoza said the US$6.1 billion was remitted by Indonesians working in Australia, America, European, Asian and African countries. Cash remittances from Asia alone totalled US$3.5 billion.

They were US$2.1 billion from Malaysia; Taiwan (US$448 million); Hong Kong (US$441 million); Singapore (US$238 million); Japan (US$146 million), South Korea (US$85 million); Brunei (US$53 million), Macao (US$38 million) and other countries (US$2.69 million), said Krisnayoza said in a statement.

He said remittances from Africa and Middle East countries amounted to US$2.4 billion, with the major portion of the money – two billion Indonesian rupiahs – sent from Saudi Arabia; America (US$129 million); and Australia and Europe (US$22.3 million).

“However, the total US$6.1 billion sent home in 2011 was lesser than from US$6.7 billion remitted in 2010,” added Krisnayoza. — Bernama