596 foreigners deported for immigration violations

JAKARTA (JP): As many as 596 foreigners as of November have been deported from Indonesia.

The Immigration Office's Control and Supervision Head Zaiman Nurmatias said those deported mostly came from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and China.

"Most of the foreigners over-stayed or violated immigration permits," he explained.

Zaiman said the number of deported foreigners this year was 28-percent higher compared to the same period last year in which 466 were deported.

He also warned of a rising trend in which Indonesia was being used as a transit point for those wishing to go to a third country, particularly Australia.

He said his office had noted a trend in which foreigners would depart for Australia using small vessels from Indonesian harbors such as Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java, Cilacap in Central Java, Kupang and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara and Merauke in Irian Jaya.

He added that these illegal immigrants often forged Indonesian immigration documents before leaving the country.

In the latest case, 18 Indian nationals were arrested in Wisma Jengger, Central Jakarta and in a restaurant in Puncak, West Java, for allegedly counterfeiting documents, he said.

Eleven of the Indians have been deported while the remaining seven people are still being processed. (jun)