17 foreigners arrested

JAKARTA (JP): Immigration officers arrested 14 Pakistanis and three Indians on Wednesday on suspicion their entry into the country was made on false pretenses.

Zaiman Nurmatias, director of immigration supervision and control, said in a statement the foreigners, all men, were arrested in two houses in the Puri Asri Pratama housing complex in Bekasi.

"We arrested them after getting a tip from residents in the area," Zaiman said.

They were resting when the arrest took place, he said, adding they could not show their passports because they claimed they were in the possession of their sponsors.

Several of the men had temporary stay permits with them.

Zaiman said the aliens' entry into the country was sponsored by local companies PT Arena Teknika Pratama, PT Rolanindo Semesta, PT Velma Utama and PT Lumban Atas Permai.

The status of the companies was questionable, he said. "An executive of one of the firms is currently being intensively questioned by the immigration officers for sponsoring the foreigners' travel here before they were employed at other local companies."

A neighborhood chief in the complex, Asep Setiawan, said the houses were rented by PT Rolanindo Semesta for an annual fee of US$1,000 each from a local resident.

Asep claimed the men often harassed female residents. (jun)