Indonesian Minister Addresses Death of Undocumented Migrant Worker in Cambodia
Reporter
April 11, 2025 | 09:49 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) has issued a statement regarding the death of Soleh Darmawan, an undocumented Indonesian migrant worker. The young man from Bekasi was confirmed dead in Cambodia on March 3, 2025.
P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding said the government is still investigating possible links to human trafficking and organ trade in Soleh’s case. “However, based on observations by the family and local authorities, there were no fresh wounds or stitch marks that would indicate organ harvesting,” Karding said at the P2MI Ministry office in South Jakarta on Friday, April 11.
He noted that rumors of organ trafficking had circulated on social media. However, Soleh's family has not requested an autopsy. “If the family wishes to investigate further—for example, by requesting an autopsy—we are ready to provide assistance,” Karding added.
Karding also revealed that his office had tried to approach a woman named Serli, who is suspected of offering Soleh the job in Cambodia. However, she was not at her residence when officials came. The minister said the government is open to working with the police to further investigate the case.
According to a Tempo report, Soleh’s mother, Diana, was still in contact with her son on the evening of Sunday, March 2. She noticed something was amiss during a video call.
Diana said Soleh sat silently and did not respond to anything she said. His face appeared pale, and he kept his head down throughout the call. The next morning, Soleh’s co-worker found him unresponsive in their rented room in a corner of Poipet City, Cambodia.
Diana later received a death certificate from the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh stating that her son had died from gastrointestinal bleeding. However, she said he had never complained of any such condition.
She explained that Soleh had originally been offered a job as a cook in Thailand by two acquaintances. It was only after his death that she learned he had been working as an online gambling operator in Poipet, Cambodia.
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