320 Foreign Nationals Arrested, PKB Urges Stricter Immigration Oversight
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The PKB faction has urged the Directorate General of Immigration to tighten oversight of the country’s entry points and residence permit verification systems, following the exposure of 320 foreign nationals suspected of being operators of an international online gambling network.
Head of the PKB Faction’s Commission XIII Working Group in the Indonesian House of Representatives, SN Prana Putra Sohe, assessed that the case’s revelation presents an opportunity to strengthen monitoring of foreign nationals’ activities and prevent the misuse of immigration documents.
“The crackdown on hundreds of foreign nationals disrupting the order through online gambling is concrete evidence of our sovereignty. Therefore, the establishment of the Task Force for Handling Foreign Nationals is a highly appropriate and swift response, which we support 100 percent,” Prana stated in an official release in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He appreciated the steps taken by the Directorate General of Immigration and the police in dismantling the alleged transnational cybercrime network involving hundreds of foreign nationals.
According to him, strengthening cross-agency oversight is crucial because online gambling practices not only impact legal aspects but also disrupt social and economic stability in society.
“Our firm recommendation is that entry points must be guarded with extra vigilance. We must not accept 100 percent of applications from agents at face value. Factual and direct on-site verification is mandatory. Leniency through agent channels must no longer be allowed,” he said.
He assessed that an overly lax verification system could be exploited by international crime syndicates to enter and operate in Indonesia.
Therefore, his side is pushing for the establishment of the Task Force for Handling Foreign Nationals not only to focus on enforcement but also to bolster early detection at Immigration Checkpoints (TPI).
Prana stated that screening processes for profiles, activities, and purposes of arrival of foreign nationals need to be conducted in multiple layers to close loopholes for transnational criminals to enter.
Previously, on 9 May 2026, the National Police arrested 321 individuals related to international online gambling crimes. Subsequently, on 10 May 2026, the National Police announced that 320 of them were foreign nationals, and their detention was handed over to the Directorate General of Immigration under the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services (Kemenimipas).
The 320 arrested foreign nationals consisted of 228 Vietnamese, 57 Chinese, 13 Myanmar nationals, 11 Laotians, five Thais, three Malaysians, and three Cambodians. Meanwhile, one other individual is an Indonesian citizen and is being further processed at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency.