Hundreds move weekly to Batam

BATAM, Riau: Despite the anti-migration ruling in Batam, hundreds of jobseekers from Sumatra and Java have been migrating illegally to the resort island.

The migrants generally enter secretly by boat to the three main harbor areas on the island, which is known as playground for middle-class Singaporeans, with its golf courses and upmarket resorts.

In an effort to halt the influx of illegal, local authorities have deployed more than 200 officers in the three main seaports to monitor the inflow of people from different provinces and dozens have been sent back to their home towns in Sumatra and Java after officials were not satisfied with their documentation.

The Batam authorities have enacted into law article No. 2/2001 which went into effect on Oct. 1 in a move to control the population on the already crowded island. The ruling prohibits people from entering at any official entry points without necessary documentation.

"People who come in from other provinces will be put into a quarantine center for two weeks before being sent back to their home village. The island is at its capacity and cannot accommodate migrant people," Mustofa Wijaya, a spokesman for the local administration, said.

The ruling also threatens a five-year jail sentence against anyone attempting to migrate to the island without permission or a clear destination on the island. -- Antara