Dewi to be queried over misuse of stay

JAKARTA (JP): Singer and TV program host Dewi Sandra is expected at the Immigration Office Headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Monday for further questioning over the alleged misuse of her stay in this country, a staffer said over the weekend.

According to staffer Agus from the information department of the immigration headquarters, Dewi, who holds a British passport, had been questioned earlier by immigration officers.

"But we need more clarification from her before we make a final decision on her status," Agus told The Jakarta Post.

On Friday, the immigration office deported noted dangdut singer Mukhtaruddin, better known as Ashraff, to Malaysia for having misused his visa which was issued only for a cultural visit.

According to immigration spokesman Mursanudin Ghani, Indian- born Ashraff, was a permanent resident of Malaysia and runs a restaurant in Selangor, Malaysia.

The singer, he said, had used an incorrect visa during his three years of stay in this country because he had been misinformed.

Asraff, married to an Indonesian woman, once admitted that he is an Indian citizen but planned to apply for Indonesian citizenship. He has so far launched three songs, two of which have become hits, namely Sharmila and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

The country has been flooded with foreign entertainers the last few years, especially from the Philippines and Taiwan.

But many of them have left the country following the significant drop in the revenues of hotels and entertainment spots since the 1997 economic crisis. (dja)