French singer taken to immigration office

JAKARTA (JP): A French singer arrested in Bengkulu by immigration officials for not having a work permit was taken to the central immigration office Thursday.

Marie Jose, 42, said she had married an Indonesian sailor, Engkus Kusama, in England in 1976. She said they came to Indonesia in 1977 and had a son who was now studying in Bandung.

Senior immigration official Zaiman Nurmatias said Jose was a contract singer at the Hotel Beringin Baru Group on the Pasir Putih coast in Bengkulu.

"Our questioning showed the artist did not have the proper documents," Zaiman said. Jose could not produce a permit from the Entertainment Activities Commission, the authority in charge of foreign artists, he said.

Jose said she came to Indonesia in 1977 on a temporary stay permit.

She initially told officials a man in Jakarta called Max had her passport and other documents.

But after further questioning Jose said her documents were with her lawyer in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and that she had a stay permit.

She also told officials her husband, who worked on the MV Bunga Orchid, had neglected her since 1984 and had remarried.

Jose, who said she did not know of Engkus' current whereabouts, did not say whether they had divorced.

She said Engkus had promised her she could become an Indonesian citizen and had given Max the documents to process.

Zaiman said Engkus had filed a request for Jose's citizenship in 1983 at the West Jakarta District Court.

Jose said her contract with the Beringin hotel had been extended several times and that her monthly wage was Rp 1.3 million.

"I want to be an Indonesian citizen, and I want all my papers to be right," Jose told officials. (anr)