The Directorate General of Immigration has secured three Australian\ncitizens with initials DTL, ZA, and JVD in connection with an illegal\nentry case into Indonesia in Merauke. The three have been detained since\nearly last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree Australian foreign nationals with initials ZA, DTL, and JVD\nhave been secured since 2 December 2025 by the Directorate General of\nImmigration on suspicion of immigration criminal acts under Law Number 6\nof 2011 on Immigration,\u201d said Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam\nMarantoko, during a press conference at the Directorate General of\nImmigration office on Thursday (9\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
Hendarsam stated that the Australians violated Article 119 paragraph\n1 of the Immigration Law, which stipulates that every foreigner entering\nand\/or staying in Indonesian territory must possess valid travel\ndocuments and visas. They also violated Article 119 paragraph 1 and\/or\nArticle 114 paragraph 2 of the Immigration Law in conjunction with\nArticle 56 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code as amended by Article 21\nparagraph 1 letter A of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the new Criminal\nCode.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn simple terms, they violated the rules by committing illegal\nentry. Entering without authorisation,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
In this case, the Australians who carried out the illegal entry were\nDTL and ZA. The two were assisted by a pilot with initials JVD.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll three are Australian citizens; two are the main perpetrators of\nthe illegal entry, and one is assisting, namely an Australian pilot\n(JVD),\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n
He explained that the case began when PT Angkasa Nusantara Aviasi or\nANA sent an aircraft manifest to PT Garuda Angkasa\u2019s Merauke branch. It\nlisted the arrival of a Piper PA23 250 Aztec aircraft with registration\nnumber VH-EQD from Coen Airport, Australia, to Mopah Airport on 16\nNovember 2025 at 13:34 WIT.<\/p>\n
However, the statement indicated only one pilot and one passenger.\nUpon landing at Mopah Airport in Merauke, it was discovered that the\npassengers inside did not match the description, leading to their\ndetention by officers.<\/p>\n
The pilot of the aircraft was Australian national JVD. The co-pilot\nwas an Indonesian citizen.<\/p>\n
Based on initial examination results, said Hendarsam, the aircraft\ndeparted from Cairns International Airport, Australia, bound for Mopah\nAirport in Merauke. Before transiting at Coen Airport, the aircraft\ntransited at Port Stewart Airport in Australia, which is an uncontrolled\nairstrip without immigration officers, to pick up two other Australian\nnationals.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo passengers without valid travel documents and visas, and whose\nnames were not listed in the flight manifest under the names ZA and DTL,\nwere then secured in the detection room of the Merauke Immigration\nOffice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Yuldi Yusman, Director of Immigration Supervision and\nEnforcement at the Directorate General of Immigration, stated that the\ntwo individuals transported by the pilot were actually on city detention\nstatus. The two attempted to flee to Indonesia illegally through Mopah\nAirport in Merauke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can state here that the individuals are equivalent to city\ndetainees, or in English, on bail, in a criminal case in Australia,\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>\n
According to Yuldi, the motive of the two city detainees for coming\nto Indonesia was to escape. They wanted to avoid the ongoing legal\nprocess.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, coming here is certainly about the motive, namely to flee from\nthe legal process they are undergoing in Australia. Initials ZA and\nDTL,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/immigration-authorities-secure-two-australian-detainees-who-fled-to-merauke-1775721055", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }