23 Afghan, Iraqi immigrants repatriated

23 Afghan, Iraqi immigrants repatriated

JAKARTA: The West Nusa Tenggara administration on Tuesday repatriated 23 Iraqi and Afghan immigrants, after they were found to have stayed illegally in the eastern Indonesian province for one year.

Provincial police spokesman, 2nd Inspector Cok Puspagana, said the illegal immigrants, consisting of 19 Afghans and 4 Iraqis, left the capital of West Nusa Tenggara for Jakarta by bus on Tuesday morning.

"The immigrants who have sheltered in a number of places in West Nusa Tenggara for quite a long time, left here for Jakarta to return to their respective countries. They have earlier passed a screening test held by the UNHCR," he said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is in the process of screening another 221 Iraqi and Afghan immigrants for repatriation.

There is no immediate report on whether they will be repatriated to their countries or third countries. -- Antara