Sweep nets illegals, beggars and prostitutes

JAKARTA (JP): In a bid to improve law and order in the city, the Central Jakarta mayoralty conducted a sweep of illegal immigrants, street hawkers, beggars and prostitutes early Wednesday morning.

Twenty-three nationals of Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon and Guinea and one Mexican residing in the Tanah Abang area were detained by immigration officials, who participated in the operation to search for foreigners overstaying their visas.

More than 200 street hawkers and 35 prostitutes were also netted in the National Monument (Monas) area. They will be sent to a rehabilitation center in Kedoya, West Jakarta.

Ten of the foreigners were released after presenting their passports, with the rest to be sent to the immigration quarantine facility in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, for further questioning.

Overstay

According to the head of the Central Jakarta immigration office, M. Jailani, the operation was conducted to find overstaying foreigners, many of whom stay in cheap hotels in Tanah Abang.

The operation was spurred by public complaints about foreigners, many of whom are allegedly involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal trading.

Since Dec. 3, the immigration office has monitored the activities of African nationals living in Tanah Abang and conducted several operations. The office caught 30 people in January.

Jailani said his office would launch periodic crackdowns on illegal immigrants as a deterrent.

During Wednesday's crackdown, mayoralty officials caught hundreds of beggars and street hawkers at Istiqlal Grand Mosque and its compound who lacked identification cards.

According to a mosque official, hundreds of homeless people often sleep on the ground floor. "They are not a threat, but their presence is an eyesore," he said. (06)