Tangerang nets 18,000 migrants

TANGERANG: The Tangerang city administration has nabbed about 18,000 migrants without legal paperwork in Jakarta in a series of raids during the past three days, an official said.

"The (migrants) were unable to show their ID cards and 300 of them were fined on the spot in Karawaci," city statistics and population agency head Achmad Kosasih said on Tuesday.

Each of the migrants were fined Rp 25,000 (US$2.78), Achmad said.

"Most of them are migrants who have lived here for more than two weeks without obtaining proper documents from the administration."

The administration would take stern measures against all migrants found guilty of violating Bylaw No. 13/2000 on population, he said.

It has been focusing its raids on five districts -- Tangerang, Karawaci, Ciledug, Cibodas and Batu Ceper.

Those found guilty of violating the bylaw can be sentenced to a maximum of six month's jail and fined up to Rp 5 million. -- JP