Immigration deports five foreigners

Immigration deports five foreigners

JAKARTA (JP): Immigration authorities have deported five foreigners following a sweeping operation against illegal aliens in Jakarta and Bali last weekend.

"We deported two Filipinos and three Americans as a result of Operation Orchid," Rahardi Suroprawiro, director of supervision and execution of the Directorate General of Immigration said.

The two Filipinos -- Lydia Arsenia A. Malicdem and Francisco F. Brillantes -- were deported on Monday, while the three Americans -- Robert Hendrik Uyleman, Pamela Louse Uyleman and Sylvester Joseph -- left on Wednesday, all through Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport.

Rahardi did not give details of their precise violations other than saying that most had overstayed their visas.

Officials involved in Operation Orchid visited the inns and dormitories most frequently used by foreigners in Jakarta and Bali and checked guests' immigration papers. Those people whose papers were in order were handed a corsage of orchids.

The immigration officers handed out hundreds of orchids during the operation.

Only 28 foreigners were deemed unworthy of receiving the flowers.

Rahardi said that in Jakarta one Sri Lankan and two South Koreans were arrested for failing to produce their passports, a Briton for showing a fake passport and 12 Pakistanis for overstaying their visas. In Bali, seven Australians were arrested for failing to produce their passports.

He did not explain why only the two Filipinos and three Americans were deported.

The immigration regulation requires that all visiting foreigners carry their passport with them wherever they go. Those who reside in Indonesia need only bring their KIM-S, or their temporary stay permit card, with them.

The directorate general of immigration reported that it deported 195 foreigners last year, compared with 144 in 1994 and 277 in 1993. Immigration banned 680 Indonesians from leaving the country and 2,067 foreigners are barred from entering Indonesia. (imn)