12 Africans arrested in Tanah Abang

12 Africans arrested in Tanah Abang

JAKARTA: A team of officers from the Central Jakarta municipal
office, immigration office and police arrested 11 African men and
one woman early Saturday morning in Tanah Abang area, Central
Jakarta, for violating immigration permits.

The men who were mainly from Nigeria and Cameroon, and the
woman, a Somalian, were arrested after failing to show their
travel documents, including their passports during the raids on
rented houses on Jl. Petamburan and in Kristal Hotel.

One of the men was also accused of faking a wedding
certificate to marry a local woman, said Yadi, an officer from
the municipal office.

Eight of the foreigners were later released after they managed
to show their documents, while the rest were detained at the
Central Jakarta immigration office for further questioning. They
may face deportation.

Many Africans conduct business at Tanah Abang market, the
largest textile market in Southeast Asia. But many of them are
believed to be conducting illegal business, including drug
trafficking.--JP