Foreigners nabbed for visa violations

JAKARTA: Three Uzbekhs and three Chinese were arrested on Wednesday for visa offenses, said an immigration official.

The three Uzbekhs were identified as Sattarova Dina, 23, Tsoy Andzhela, 19, and Gushel Yuliya, 23, while the three Chinese were identified as Cai Ying, 25, Fang Haihua, 23, and Bing Lijuan, 32.

Ade E. Dahlan, spokesman for the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Himan Rights, said here on Friday that the six foreigners were detained for misusing their tourist visas to work in the country.

The Uzbekhs entered Jakarta on Sept. 17 on tourist visas issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, while the Chinese arrived here on Aug. 7 on tourist visas issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing.

They were arrested during a raid on Wednesday evening by the immigration directorate on the Diamond nightclub on Jl. Gajah Mada in Central Jakarta, where the foreigners were working.

Ade said the foreigners told authorities they came to Indonesia on a sponsorship from agents in their countries of origin, with the promise that they would be given good jobs. However, they eventually ended up working in nightspots.

Visa violations are punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in jail, a maximum fine of Rp 25 million (US$2,941) and deportation. --JP