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