Surakarta to deport 3 expats

Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java

Bangladeshi Mukhtar Khan, 26, Australian Garry John Palmer, 61, and his seven-year-old daughter Tahani Wulandari, are awaiting deportation for staying illegally in Surakarta.

Mukhtar who illegally entered the country through Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, last July has been in the local immigration office's custody for three months for possessing no passport or visa documentation to stay in Indonesia.

Munsya Putra Sembiring, an official at the Surakarta immigration office, said his office had coordinated with the Bangladeshi Embassy in Jakarta to prepare necessary documents for Mukhtar's deportation.

Mukhtar came to Indonesia in order to marry Siti Jumaroh in Magelang, however it was unclear where the two met.

Munsya said Palmer, who married 37-year-old Indonesian Tamiyati in 1998, and his daughter were not allowed to stay in Indonesia because they had no legal permission from the Indonesian authorities to do so.

"After being deported, the two will be barred from entering Indonesia because Palmer lied when asked about his nationality," he said, adding the two could have stayed in Indonesia if they had applied to authorities for an official permit.

So far, the number of foreigners in the city has reached 345, comprised mostly of Chinese, Indians and Japanese.