U.S. hols 23 Indonesians for document forgery

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United States authorities have detained 23 Indonesian nationals who are now facing charges of immigration document forgery.

The Indonesians were sent to a prison in Arlington, Virginia, after a local district court ordered them put into custody on Tuesday. They were arrested in four separate locations on Monday.

A consular official at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C., Teguh Wardoyo, told Antara the main suspect in the case, Liong Huat Gouw, alias Hans Gouw, 53, was not present during the court hearing.

Hans heads the Chinese-Indonesian American Society, a consultancy firm offering services to Indonesians applying for immigration documents.

The U.S. authorities have also arrested three non-Indonesian nationals for suspected involvement in the immigration document forgery network.

"They were all arrested for alleged involvement in the crime. They are not migrant workers or other people who have been cheated," Wardoyo said.

The Indonesian government has provided the suspects a lawyer.

Wardoyo said most of the suspects had sought asylum in the United States by claiming to have suffered discrimination back home.

Prosecutors said the suspects had provided services for over 1,000 Indonesian nationals, each of whom paid a minimum of US$2,000.

In Jakarta, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda expressed regret that the 23 Indonesians had tarnished the country's reputation with their claims of having suffered discrimination at home.

Hassan said their claims helped create an image that ethnic violence and discrimination were major problems in Indonesia.

"It is very much related to the riots in 1998, but we feel uncomfortable with their claims as it will reinforce the perception that past riots and discrimination continue to happen," Hassan said on Thursday.

Hundreds of Chinese-Indonesians fled the country following three days of rioting in Jakarta and other towns in May 1998. During the violence, ethnic Chinese and their property were targeted. The riots were part of the political turmoil that led to the resignation of then president Soeharto after 32 years in power.

Hassan said despite their claims, the Indonesian government would protect the rights of the suspects by providing them lawyers and offering assistance during the legal process.