Indonesian Authorities Detain 28 Foreigners Stranded in Sukabumi Suspected of being Illegal Immigrants

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Immigration Intelligence and Enforcement Team of the Class II Non TPI Sukabumi Immigration Office arrested 28 foreigners suspected of violating immigration regulations. Saffar Muhammad Godam, director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said the foreigners included four Thais, 23 Bangladeshis and one Indian.

During the security check, Immigration also found two Indonesian citizens from West Nusa Tenggara and Makassar. Both are suspected of being people smugglers.

"According to reports, the 28 foreigners are illegal immigrants planning to enter Australia illegally," Godam said in an official statement quoted on Thursday, July 4.

He said the foreigners set out from the waters of Cilacap, Central Java, in a speedboat. "But along the way, they were detained by the Australian police for about 11 days."

Local residents found dozens of foreigners stranded on Muara Cikaso Beach, Buniasih Village, Tegalbuleud District, Sukabumi Regency on Saturday, June 29. The villagers then reported the incident to the Sukabumi Police.

Godam said that after coordinating with the Sukabumi Police Criminal Investigation Division on Sunday, the team went to the scene to arrest the foreigners and detain them for further investigation.

Initially, the dozens of foreigners were to be detained in the Sukabumi Immigration Office. But due to limited space, the Inteldakim team took them to Warungkiara Class IIB Prison.

"All the foreigners will be taken to the Detention Room of the Directorate General of Immigration for further investigation to uncover human trafficking networks," Godam said.

The 28 foreigners are charged with violating Article 113 of Law 6/2011 on Immigration for intentionally entering or leaving Indonesia without undergoing immigration inspection, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and/or a maximum fine of Rp100 million.

The two Indonesian nationals suspected of being smugglers were charged under Article 120 of the same law on human smuggling. They face a minimum of five years' imprisonment and a maximum of 15 years' imprisonment or a fine of between Rp500 million and Rp1.5 billion.

AMELIA RAHIMA SARI

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