Singaporeans detained for visa violations

Singaporeans detained for visa violations

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

Batam police arrested and detained on Wednesday three Singaporean
nationals for alleged visa violations, a senior police officer
disclosed on Saturday.

The three businessmen, who are still in detention, had
actually acquired social visit visas from the Indonesian
government, but they were apparently violating the terms of the
visa and were working in other areas not stipulated in their
visas, said Comr. Ibrahim Tompo, a senior police officer at the
Barelang police in Batam, Riau Islands.

The three businessmen were still being questioned over the
weekend by police investigators, said Ibrahim.

The social visit permit, which expires after 14 days, applies
to both Indonesians or Singaporeans who visit each other's
countries.

Separately, chief of Batam Immigration Office I Gede Widiharta
confirmed on the same day that the three people had been detained
for permit violations.

The three -- Goh Sin Chiang, Lee Soon Kiang and Goh Joo Koon
-- arrived in the city on Wednesday at the Batam Center
International seaport and shortly thereafter chaired a meeting
held by a company in central Batam. "They have no right
whatsoever to work in Batam as they don't have adequate work
documents," said Widiharta.

According to earlier statements, the three revealed that they
were merely shareholders of a company in Batam, but they were not
active shareholders so they were not informed of immigration
procedures on Batam, said Widiharta.