Eight foreigners arrested for immigration violations

Eight foreigners arrested for immigration violations

JAKARTA (JP): Immigration officers have arrested eight
foreigners at several places in Central Jakarta in the past week
for violating immigration permits, according to an official.

Immigration Director of Foreigners Control Coordination Zaiman
Nurmatias said Tuesday the suspects were from Ghana, Morocco,
South Korea, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and Bangladesh.

"They were apprehended on different days from May 28 until
Tuesday," he said.

Zaiman did not explain whether the foreigners were netted in a
special operation or by plainclothes officers.

According to him, a suspect identified as Bovali Said from
Morocco was netted on May 28 while withdrawing money from a BCA
automated teller machine at the Djakarta Theater building.

During initial examination, the Moroccan claimed to be
Indonesian and a resident of Bogor as stated on his
identification card, he said.

"However, he could not locate his precise residence," Zaiman
said.

The man could not sing the national anthem nor recite the
tenets of state ideology Pancasila, he added.

The suspect later claimed to be a player of Surabaya-based
Assyabaab Salim Group soccer club and produced a letter signed by
an officer from the All Indonesian Soccer Federation (PSSI), Dali
Tahir.

The letter stated that Bovali, a former junior soccer player
in Morocco, was a playing team member of the Indonesian soccer
league.

But the immigration office has enough evidence to charge him
for allegedly counterfeiting his identification card, said
Zaiman.

He gave no details about the arrest of the other seven
suspects. (jun)