Jakarta, Feb. 24 -- Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar announced the government's plan to facilitate the placement of up to 500 thousand Indonesian migrant workers abroad this year.

Speaking after a coordination meeting with Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Mukhtarudin, he said that starting in April, the government will begin sending skilled workers to Japan, South Korea, several European countries, the United States, and other destinations.

"Our target is to deploy between 300,000 and 500,000 skilled migrant workers from April through the following months," Iskandar said in Jakarta on Tuesday, noting that the workers will have skills in fields such as welding, hospitality, ...