Two students of Department of International Relations of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) Amalia Putri Utami and Heriawan accompanied by their lecturer Ratih Herningtyas, S.IP., M.A.  arrived in Bahrain on Friday (21/9). The students were the best delegates at a diplomatic course organized by UMY collaborating with Directorate General of Public Diplomacy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and visiting Bahrain for 10 days were an award given the Directorate General.

Heriawan informed that during the visit they would carry out several activities. “First, we do an internship at the Indonesian Embassy in Manama and get involved in diplomatic activities such as diplomatic reception and Indonesian Cultural Night. Next, we will have a sit-in in University College of Bahrain (UCB) and join a discussion with students there facilitated by Head of Business Administration Dr. Sutan Emir Hidayat.

Heriawan told that they were required to write about Bahrain. “An Indonesian ambassador to Bahrain Nur Syahrir Rahardjo stated that he often sent Bahrain students to Indonesia. After they returned from Indonesia, they had to write their impression of Indonesia. The ambassador expected that we do the same so that our writing can be published on social media,” he explained.

Besides, UMY delegates will conduct mini research on human trafficking in Bahrain. “During our visit, we are going to investigate illegal Indonesian migrant workers in Bahrain. We are interested in examining the issue since it is considered as human trafficking and occurs systematically. The human trafficking phenomenon in Bahrain shows that there are no ‘victims’ because the workers went there through illegal agents. We would like to explore the phenomena,” said Amalia. She added that research would be published on as seminar in October at UMY.