China-Indonesia Chinese workers continue to arrive in Indonesia despite ban on Eid homecomings
The nationwide interstate travel ban has forced several Indonesian authorities to turn back thousands of people trying to return to their hometowns for the Eid ul-Fitr festival but some have now questioned the inflow of foreign workers- read from China- into the country.
Earlier this month, charter flights from China brought in more than 400 workers to work on infrastructure projects ranging from toll roads to airports and ports in different parts of Indonesia, reported South China Morning Post.
Two of them later tested positive for Covid-19 – leading to accusations of government hypocrisy for stopping citizens from travelling domestically for the festival, known as Lebaran or Idul Fitri in Indonesia, that marks the end of Ramadan, the newspaper reported.
“Of course the public will wonder why Chinese citizens are allowed to enter Indonesia even though people are prohibited from going home,” Indonesian parliamentarian and activist, Netty Prasetiyani, was quoted as saying by the newspaper in a written statement on Sunday. “Do not let the public judge the government to be inconsistent in its Covid-19 control policy.”
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