Japanese man wanted for abusing visa

JAKARTA (JP): Immigration officers are looking for a Japanese man who did not return to their office despite promising to do so after being arrested and released for abusing his visa.

Otong Hasan, the head of the immigration supervision and measures subdivision of the Directorate General of Immigration, said in a statement yesterday that the man, identified as Matsuo Shunji, 46, was arrested Wednesday at the Centra Beauty Pro beauty parlor in Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta.

The expatriate, who had a limited stay permit issued by the Central Jakarta immigration office, was working as a promotion consultant at the beauty parlor, Otong said.

"Shunji is working for PT Eres Revco as a promotion consultant," he said.

He said that the investigation into Shunji started after the immigration office received information that he was serving customers in the beauty parlor, especially on Saturdays and Sundays.

Shunji was arrested after treating an undercover officer's hair.

During his work, Shunji, who had both local and Japanese customers, was not accompanied by a local.

"If he can serve an immigration officer, he can serve anybody," Otong said.

Shunji could not show his passport during the arrest and was then taken to the immigration office in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The immigration office released Shunji from its detention center on Wednesday afternoon after Eres Revco promised Shunji would return to the center at 10 a.m. yesterday.

However at 2 p.m. yesterday, Shunji had still not shown up at the office as promised, prompting Otong to make his statement.

Last week, immigration officers also arrested seven foreign nationals from Egypt, Japan, Malaysia and Zaire. (ste)