460 foreigners deported for violating immigration law

460 foreigners deported for violating immigration law

JAKARTA (JP): The rising trend in deportations from Indonesia
has continued as the Directorate General for Immigration expelled
460 foreigners of 50 different nationalities this year.

Zaiman Nurmatias, director of immigration supervision and
control, said this year's number continued the upward trend which
he expects to carry on next year.

Without breaking down the specific details, Zaiman said the
largest numbers deported were from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the
Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Saudi
Arabia, Thailand and the United States.

All those deported were found to have violated Immigration Law
No. 9/1992.

"They were deported for a number of reasons, among them for
overstaying, abusing their stay permits or not having any
documents at all. But most were sent home for overstaying,"
Zaiman remarked Wednesday.

The number of deportees has continued to rise in the last
three years. In 1996 316 people were deported, while last year
there were 440.

"I think that next year there will be even more immigration
violations. As a reflection of globalization the offenses have
become more sophisticated, such as in the use of phony visas,"
Zaiman said.

He admits that for his office it is more practical to deport
immigration violators than taking them to court.

"It's more effective and a lot faster," he said.

Nevertheless Zaiman said that not all countries were as
cooperative in dealing with immigration offenders who do not have
sufficient funds or a ticket out of the country.

He noted that many countries would not be willing to send
their own nationals home.

"While awaiting deportation those foreigners are put into
quarantine. At the moment we have 504 foreigners still in
quarantine waiting to be sent home," he explained. (mds)