Desperate Indonesian migrant worker pleads for help online as bank chases her for debt

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A video uploaded by a desperate Indonesian domestic worker in Taiwan has gone viral.

The 4-minute video posted by Fazriliya Meimelii, shows her crying as she speaks about her friend’s debt. The video has been watched for more than 400,000 times since it was uploaded.

“I lent her my national ID as a guarantee and now the bank of Taiwan is asking money from me,” Meimelii, who currently works in Taiwan as an elderly caretaker, said in the video. 

She claimed that her friend, Nur Jamilah, escaped his NT$10,000 debt (4M Rp or $300).

She also said her friend told her she wouldn’t run away from her debt only for her to leave her to pay for it.

“I just arrived in Taiwan and have worked for a month only,” she said in the video. She asked netizens to share the video, in a plea to help her find out where her friend is.

Some of Meimelii’s friends left some comments on the video. Dinna Nabilla asked her to be strong and to keep her faith.

“If you have money, instead of getting chased by the bank, just pay it,” Sigit Adypurnomo, another friend, said on Facebook.

Meanwhile, an employee from the human resources agency in Taiwan who chose not to be named told Rappler that Meimelii’s case is not unique.

“Similar cases happen all the time. Some Indonesian migrant workers lose vigilance to their fellows, 

She added that the human resources agency sometimes helps the worker deal with their debt. –Rappler.com