Bengkulu Immigration Office Detains Four Chinese Nationals

TEMPO.CO, Bengkulu - The Indonesian Immigration Office in Bengkulu city has temporarily detained four Chinese nationals who were found working illegally at a coal mining company in Bengkulu Provincial District of North Bengkulu, an official stated. "They were detained as they did not have residential permit documents," the head of the Bengkulu Immigration Office, Rafli, said on Friday.

The four were identified as Lin Youle, Weng Renhua, Zheng Guoqiang and Lin Weibin. Two of the four, Lin and Weng, allegedly violated article 71 of Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration as they did not have any passports.

Meanwhile, Zheng Guoqiang, who did have a passport number E39416740 and a Limited Stay Permit Card (Kitas) number 2C21JD2599 issued by the Central Jakarta Immigration Office, was not authorized to work where he did as the documents did not refer to the North Bengkulu area. Thus, he was found in violation of article 71 of the Law on Immigration.

Lin Weibin, holder of passport number E62617301, came to Indonesia using a residence permit for visiting but was found in the mining area of PT Mingan Mining. Lin allegedly violated article 122 of the Law on Immigration. "The case of these four Chinese nationals will be processed and they will be deported if proved to have violated (the law)," Rafli explained.

Previously, the Palembang immigration office had arrested nine Chinese nationals and one Indian national working in the Steam Power Plant in Banyung Lincir, Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra Province, for violating visa rules. Of the nine Chinese citizens, five were in the country on a tourist visas, one had a visit visa, and three had simply overstayed, Head of the Palembang immigration office, Budiono Setiawan, stated on Thursday.

The Indian citizen had a permit to work in the Jambi Province but was found working in South Palembang. They were all detained on Wednesday while taking rest in a technical room of the China-owned power plant.

Apart from that, the Indonesian Immigration Office in Sukabumi, West Java Province, on Jan 5 temporarily detained three Chinese nationals found to be working illegally at a brick factory in this city. The three workers, identified as Mingjie Chen (44), Hui Lin (41) and Jingui Lin (40), were technicians in a low-tech brick making firm, Head of the Sukabumi Immigration Office, Filianto Akbar, informed on Wednesday.

Interrogation revealed the the Chinese men had been working for six months at the brick factory without a valid work permit, and only had a visiting visa, Akbar confirmed.

ANTARA