Foreigners nabbed for prostitution in Surabaya

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

A total of 30 foreign nationals were arrested on Tuesday at around midnight in the Meteor discotheque on suspicion of prostitution.

They were arrested by a joint team from the Surabaya immigration office, local police personnel and other agencies, said Yoostha Silalahi, an official with Surabaya immigration office, on Wednesday.

The 30 foreigners consisted of two Russians and 28 from mainland China. None of them had immigration or identity documents, such as passports, visas or identity cards, said Yoostha.

When they were arrested, the two Russians said that they had left their identity cards and immigration documents in Macau. Meanwhile, the other 28 said they had left their documents in Jakarta.

The immigration and police personnel were unimpressed, however, and took the 30 foreign nationals to the Surabaya immigration office on Jl. Kayon, where they are currently being questioned.

Yoostha Silalahi, an official with the Surabaya immigration office, said on Wednesday that the raid part of a regular program of raids carried out by officials on night spots in Surabaya.

According to Yoostha, the two Russians, had been brought to Jakarta and would be deported to their country of origin.

The immigration office was still questioning the other 28 foreign nationals.