11 foreigners to be deported

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta Immigration Office will soon deport nine Indians and two Sri Lankans for overstaying and possessing fake Indonesian Temporary Staying Permits (KITAS), an official said on Wednesday.

"The eleven foreigners were arrested following routine immigration operations from Dec. 31 to Jan. 3. The raid was conducted on Jl. Kartini and Jl. Pintu Air in Central Jakarta," said Director for Immigration Supervision and Operations Zaiman Nurmatias in a written statement, copies of which were made available to the media.

"Six of the nine Indians were arrested on Jl. Kartini for overstaying, while the other three Indians and the two Sri Lankans were captured on Jl. Pintu Air," he added.

The immigration investigation found that the 11 foreigners arrived together last year through the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, under the sponsorship of PT Berkah Gemilang Utama Jaya.

"Immigration also found that they used fake visas and arrival stamps on their passports to legalize their overstays," he said.

Zaiman said they would be in Indonesia for a short visit as they were planning to move to another country, adding that they had paid US$7,000 each to be transported to a third country. (05)