Sunarko Suwito

Last updated
Ivo Meriyanti
​
(died 2022)​
Sunarko Suwito
Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Sudan Sunarko (cropped).jpg
Ambassador of Indonesia to Sudan
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 January 2022

Sunarko Suwito [1] (born 18 July 1964) is an Indonesian diplomat who is currently serving as ambassador to Sudan since 2022. Previously, he served as the foreign ministry's director for the Middle East and consul general in Johor Bahru.

Contents

Career

Born on 18 July 1964, Sunarko joined the foreign ministry in March 1993. [2] Around 2006, Sunarko served within the embassy in Damascus with the rank of first secretary. [3] In 2013, he was assigned to the consulate general in Jeddah as consul for consular affairs with the rank of counsellor. [4] [5] Shortly after his arrival, he became the acting consul general. [6]

Early in his tenure in Jeddah, the Saudi Arabia government held an amnesty program for undocumented workers, which allowed illegal workers to regularize their status without facing fines or imprisonment. The program's short deadline resulted in a surge of applicants for Travel Document in Lieu of an Indonesian Citizen Passport (Surat Perjalanan Laksana Paspor, SPLP), [7] with 12,000 migrant workers flooding the consulate general at its peak. [6] False rumors and the rush amongst the applicants cause riots, with stone throwing, fires, and attempts to storm the building. The riots resulted in the death of an applicant and hundreds of applicants fainted. [8] [9]

Following the incident, the consulate general received criticisms due to the lack of facilities and staff. The consulate general responded by increasing the number of staffs to improve its document processing capacity. [10] Sunarko and other officials from the foreign and law ministry met with Abdullmonim Y Al Shehri from the Saudi Ministry of Labor to negotiate an extension of the amnesty program and propose improvements to labor contracts. [11] [7] Although the amnesty was extended to November, there were still thousands of Indonesian migrant workers that were unable to obtain proper documents and deported from the immigration detention centers. [12] [13] [14]

After his service in Jeddah, Sunarko was transferred to the embassy in Riyadh as deputy chief of mission in 2015. [15] He became the chargé d'affaires ad interim of the embassy, as the ambassador's post was vacant at that time. He continued to handle Indonesian migrant workers, and in August 2015 announced an amnesty program for Indonesian citizens to obtain SPLP. [16] He stated that Saudi Arabia's vast territory poses a major challenge to Indonesian citizens, especially migrant workers, and suggested coordination via phone with community leaders to assist citizens more efficiently. [17] Aside from protecting Indonesian citizen, Sunarko actively promoted Indonesia by holding a Trade, Tourism and Investment Corner (TTI Corner) and Indonesian Products Display at the embassy in March 2015 [18] and holding tourism promotions in major cities. [19]

On 10 April 2017, Sunarko became the Middle East director within the foreign ministry. [20] In 2018, he oversaw the launching of an Indonesian citizen protection online portal for the consulate general in Jeddah. [21] On 22 April 2019, he was transferred to Malaysia as consul general in Johor Bahru. [22]

On 4 June 2021, Sunarko was nominated by President Joko Widodo as ambassador to Sudan. [23] His nomination was approved by the House of Representatives first commission after passing an assessment on 12 July 2021 [24] and was installed as ambassador on 12 January 2022. [25] He presented his credentials to the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on 7 July 2022. [26]

Following the start of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023, the foreign ministry evacuated Indonesian citizens in Sudan, with Sunarko personally leading the first wave of evacuation. [27] During the evacuation process, Sunarko and other embassy staff resided in Port Sudan to observe the evacuation. [28] For his role in leading the evacuation, Sunarko received the 2023 Hassan Wirajuda Indonesian Citizen Protection Award in April 2024. [29] [30]

Personal life

Sunarko was married to Ivo Meriyanti, [31] who died on 4 March 2022. [32]

References

  1. ↑ Beritasumut.com (February 2018). "Menlu RI Kunjungi Satgas MTF TNI Konga XXVIII-J/Unifil" [Indonesian Foreign Minister Visits MTF TNI Konga XXVIII-J/UNIFIL Task Force]. Beritasumut (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Mayerfas (22 June 2017). "PENGUMUMAN NOMOR : Pengumuman/00167/KP/06/2017/03 TENTANG HASIL SELEKSI ADMINISTRASI SELEKSI TERBUKA JABATAN PIMPINAN TINGGI MADYA PERIODE I DAN PRATAMA PERIODE II KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI TAHUN ANGGARAN 2017" [Announcement No. Pengumuman/00167/KP/06/2017/03 Regarding the Administrative Selection Results for the Open Selection of High Leadership Positions (Madya Period I and Pratama Period II) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Fiscal Year 2017](PDF). Kementerian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (in Indonesian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (May 2009). "LOP 36 CFM Final" [List of Participants of the 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers](PDF). OIC. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Kementerian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (9 June 2013). "Official and Staff – Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Jeddah". Kemlu.go.id (Archived). Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  5. ↑ BBC Indonesia (5 November 2013). "Ribuan TKI Arab Saudi siap dideportasi" [Thousands of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia Ready for Deportation]. BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  6. 1 2 Dewabrata, Wisnu (12 June 2013). "Korban Kerusuhan KJRI Jeddah Dimakamkan di Arab Saudi" [Victim of the Indonesian Consulate Riot in Jeddah Buried in Saudi Arabia]. Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  7. 1 2 Kawilarang, Renne R.A (10 June 2013). "Selain RI, Ada 8 Negara yang Warganya Kerja Ilegal di Saudi" [Besides Indonesia, 8 Other Countries Have Citizens Working Illegally in Saudi Arabia]. VIVA (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Dewabrata, Wisnu (12 June 2013). "KJRI Jeddah Belum Miliki Data WNI yang Ditangkap" [Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah Has Yet to Obtain Data on Arrested Citizens]. Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Permadi, Eka (10 June 2013). "Kerusuhan di KJRI Jeddah dan Para TKI yang Khawatir" [Riot at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah and the Worried Migrant Workers]. VIVA (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  10. ↑ Indrayana, Denny (13 June 2013). "Wamen Denny: Proses Pembuatan SPLP di Jeddah Sudah Nyaman dan Tertib" [Deputy Minister Denny: SPLP Issuance Process in Jeddah Is Now Comfortable and Orderly]. Detik News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Novarina, Arie (18 June 2013). "Indonesia ajukan perpanjangan amnesti TKI di Arab Saudi" [Indonesia Requests Extension of Amnesty for Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia]. ANTARA News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Bonasir, Rohmatin (30 October 2013). "Amnesti hampir berakhir, puluhan ribu TKI belum ditangani" [Amnesty Nears End, Tens of Thousands of Indonesian Migrant Workers Remain Unprocessed]. BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  13. ↑ Ariyanti, Fiki (6 November 2013). "Pemerintah Pasrah TKI Deportasi dari Arab Saudi" [Government Resigned to Deportation of Indonesian Migrant Workers from Saudi Arabia]. Liputan6 (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Affan, Heyder (2 November 2013). "Mengapa TKI Ilegal Enggan Urus Izin Tinggal?" [Why Do Undocumented Indonesian Migrant Workers Hesitate to Process Residency Permits?]. National Geographic Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Daftar Pejabat dan Staff – KBRI Riyadh". Kementerian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (Archived) (in Indonesian). 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-07-17. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Anam, A. Khoirul (29 August 2015). "Peringati HUT RI, WNI Bermasalah akan Mendapatkan Amnesti" [Commemorating Indonesia’s Independence Day, Problematic Citizens to Receive Amnesty]. NU Online (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Maulana, Victor (6 September 2015). "Luas Wilayah Jadi Tantangan Terbesar Perlindungan WNI di Saudi" [Vast Territory Is the Biggest Challenge in Protecting Indonesian Citizens in Saudi Arabia]. Sindonews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  18. ↑ Warta Ekonomi (12 March 2015). "'Indonesian Corner' Gaet Wisatawan Arab Saudi" ['Indonesian Corner' Attracts Saudi Arabian Tourists]. Warta Ekonomi (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Makyanie, Munawar S. (17 November 2015). "Indonesia Promosi Wisata di Tiga Kota Saudi" [Indonesia Promotes Tourism in Three Saudi Cities]. ANTARA Sumbar (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  20. ↑ Suwandy (11 August 2017). "Pelantikan Pejabat Kemenlu" [Inauguration of Foreign Ministry Officials]. ANTARA News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  21. ↑ Michaella, Sonya (19 July 2018). "Kemenlu RI Luncurkan Portal Peduli WNI di Jeddah" [Indonesian Foreign Ministry Launches Portal for Citizens in Jeddah]. Medcom.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Menlu RI Lantik Konjen dan Pejabat Eselon II Kemlu". Koran Jakarta (in Indonesian). 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Teresia, Ananda (25 June 2021). Saleh, Fahrian (ed.). "Daftar 33 Calon Dubes Pilihan Jokowi: Fadjroel, Rosan, hingga Agus Widjojo" [List of 33 Ambassador Candidates Chosen by Jokowi: Fadjroel, Rosan, and Agus Widjojo]. Kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Putri, Budiarti Utami (12 July 2021). "DPR Gelar Uji Kelayakan Calon Dubes Tertutup, Ini Daftar Namanya" [Parliament Holds Closed Fit and Proper Test for Ambassador Candidates, Here's the List]. Tempo.co (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  25. ↑ Nugraheny, Dian Erika (12 January 2022). "Jokowi Lantik Dubes Indonesia untuk Sudan, Filipina, dan Selandia Baru" [Jokowi Inaugurates Indonesian Ambassadors to Sudan, the Philippines, and New Zealand]. Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  26. ↑ KBRI Khartoum (9 July 2022). "Penyerahan Surat Kepercayaan Duta Besar Sunarko kepada Presiden DPT Sudan" [Presentation of Letters of Credence by Ambassador Sunarko to the President of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council]. Kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  27. ↑ "Menlu RI: 538 WNI di Sudan Dievakuasi Lewat Jeddah" [Indonesian Foreign Minister: 538 Citizens in Sudan Evacuated via Jeddah]. CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). 24 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  28. ↑ BBC Indonesia (1 May 2023). "Konflik Sudan: Evakuasi tahap keempat, 107 WNI telah tiba di Jeddah dari Port Sudan" [Sudan Conflict: Fourth Evacuation Phase, 107 Indonesians Arrive in Jeddah from Port Sudan]. BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  29. ↑ Rahmawati, Dwi (27 April 2024). "23 Individu dan Entitas Terima Hassan Wirajuda Pelindungan WNI Award 2023" [23 Individuals and Entities Receive the Hassan Wirajuda Protection of Indonesian Citizens Award 2023]. Detik News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  30. ↑ Ihsan, Nabil (27 April 2024). "Kemlu RI repatriasi 1.119 WNI dari zona darurat sepanjang 2023" [Indonesian Foreign Ministry Repatriates 1,119 Citizens from Emergency Zones Throughout 2023]. ANTARA News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  31. ↑ IINA (10 March 2015). "Wearing Hijab, Indonesian Women Stress Faith on Islamic Culture". Alukah.net. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  32. ↑ "Keluarga Besar KJRI Johor Bahru turut belasungkawa atas wafatnya Ibu Ivo Meriyanti". Instagram (in Indonesian). KJRI Johor Bahru. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
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