JAKARTA - The Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur or NTT) lost 127 migrant workers overseas last year, and only seven of them had gone through official channels. The other 120 left without proper documentation.

BP3MI NTT head Suratmi Hamida said this in Kupang on Wednesday, January 7, as quoted by state-owned agency Antara. Of the 127 who died, 107 were men and 20 were women. The agency facilitated the repatriation of all the remains.

The death toll has fluctuated over recent years. There were 106 deaths in 2022, which jumped to 151 in 2023, then fell to 125 in 2024. As of January 7, two more NTT workers have already been repatriated in 2026.

Hamida said BP3MI is not trying to stop people from working abroad, but warned that leaving through illegal channels leaves workers with almost no protection. When things go wrong, families often receive nothing more than a coffin, without any of the benefits or legal rights that come with documented migration. 

In many cases, she said, there is little that can be done legally because the worker left illegally.

BP3MI placed 2,226 workers legally in 2025, exceeding its annual target of 1,960 by 114 percent. Malaysia was the top destination with 2,013 workers, followed by Singapore at 130 and Brunei at 25. But the agency's data shows 4,163 NTT migrant workers were recorded in the system last year, meaning legal placements account for just over half. 

The NTT numbers are part of a broader problem that government agencies have been warning about for months. 

In October, BP3MI Yogyakarta urged people to verify overseas job offers before accepting placements. In December, Coordinating Minister Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar told the public to watch out for misleading promises, especially those spread through social media pointing to destinations like Cambodia.

The announcement came just days after another tragedy. On January 3, a 61-year-old Indonesian worker from East Lombok collapsed and died four hours after being deported from Malaysia. Muhanip Bin Radi was among 19 deportees who arrived at Dumai Port. He died at a government shelter, likely from a heart attack.