REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia and Taiwan have agreed to set up a joint task force to assist migrant Indonesian workers in Taiwan.

Promotion Director of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) Anjar Pranowo said on Wednesday that the agreement was reached at the 7th annual meeting between the Indonesian and Taiwanese delegations in Taipei from November 28 to 29.

BNP2TKI chief Moh Jumhur Hidayat led the Indonesian delegation, which included the agency's deputy head for placement Agusdin Subiantoro, deputy for protection Lisna Yuliani Poeloengan, deputy for overseas cooperation and promotion Endang Sulistianingnih, and representatives of the manpower and transmigration ministry, the trade ministry, the maritime affairs and fisheries ministry and the Indonesian Trade and Economic Office (KDEI) in Taipei.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese delegation was led by Manpower Minister Pan Shih-Wei.

Anjar said the joint task force will hold a quarterly meeting both in Indonesia and Taiwan to draw up a framework of joint technical programs directed towards improving the living standards of Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan.

The 7th annual meeting also discussed a wide range of problems facing Indonesian migrant workers employed in the informal sector, including domestic helpers, and those employed in the formal sector, including manufacturing and construction sector, he said.

The meeting also paid serious attention to problems faced by the Indonesian migrant workers employed as ship crew members in Taiwan.

According to Anjar, Indonesia leads suppliers of migrant workers to Taiwan, followed by Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. About 209,000-210,000 Indonesians are employed in Taiwan.

Nearly 15 percent of Indonesian migrant workers are employed in the manufacturing and construction sector, 80 percent employed as domestic helpers, and 3-4 percent employed as ship crew members.

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