More repatriation flights organized for stranded Migrant workers

The Philippine and Indonesian consulates are organizing additional flights for the growing number of stranded non-resident workers in Macau, the Times has learned.
According to information provided by the Consulate General of the Philippines in Macau, two flights operated by Filipino national flag carrier Philippine Airlines will be repatriating Filipino nationals who wish to return home.
In most cases, the stranded migrant workers claim that they have been pleading to return to their country after losing their jobs in Macau as a consequence of contract terminations.
According to Philippine Consul General Lilybeth Deapera, the consulate still has 750 requests for help with repatriation.
TDM radio reported late last week that the first of the two flights will leave Macau on January 15 and is expected to carry a total of 195 people.
Deapera also confirmed that among the 195 passengers, there are several pregnant women and a few children. The consulate has prioritized them, as well as people with medical conditions who need to seek treatment in their homeland.
The two flights will be 14th and 15th charter flights organized by the consulate in Macau since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic respectively.
A new law for the hiring of migrant workers came into force in October and, therefore, prevents the re-hiring of stranded workers.
Due to similar circumstances, the Indonesian Consulate Office in Macau is also currently organizing a flight to repatriate some nationals from Macau.
This will be the fifth time the consulate has assisted Indonesian citizens to leave Macau. On previous occasions, Indonesian nationals have been authorized to travel from Macau to Hong Kong International Airport to fly to Indonesia.

Workers from Macau not likely to be involved in Indonesian plane crash

Former workers in Macau who were repatriated to Indonesia are not likely to have been involved in the crash of flight SJ182 from Indonesian airliner Sriwijaya Air, the head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (IMWU) in Macau, Yosa Wariyanti, told the Times.
After the accident, rumors have been circulating on social media that three of the airplane passengers were former workers in Macau.
Wariyanti clarified to the Times that the last repatriation flight organized with the Indonesian Consulate Office in Macau occurred about three months ago, hence there should be no direct link between repatriation efforts and the accident which occurred last Saturday.