Dewi to be queried over misuse of stay

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)