21 Detained Immigrants In Madiun Escape

Madiun, E Java, Sept 14 (ANTARA) - As many as 21 out of 60 illegal immigrants detained at Indah Hotel in Madiun, East Java, escaped on Friday. According to initial reports, the immigrants broke the glass windows of their rooms, climbed up the hotel`s walls and jumped on to the roofs of the houses surrounding the hotel during their night-time escape. A local resident, Bambang, said he was awakened by some noises coming from his rooftop on the night of the escape. "I first thought the mice were making the noise. But when I went out to check, I saw several foreigners were running away. It was about 3 am," he added. Kasimin, whose house is situated beside the hotel, told of a similar experience. He was also woken up by the noises coming from his rooftop at 1 am. "When I looked outside my house, many police officers were chasing some foreigners," Kasimin said. Meanwhile, Madiun Immigration Office officers have not yet issued an official statement about the incident. Earlier, 60 detained immigrants had escaped from Asri Hotel in Madiun. While the police are still looking for six of them, 11 out of the 54 immigrants recaptured were sent to the immigration detention house in Pasuruan, East Java. The 60 undocumented immigrants, 54 men, three women and three kids, were arrested by the Pacitan Police in Tamperan when they were heading for Australia. Of the illegal immigrants, 51 came from Iraq, while five were from Kuwait, and four from Iran. Some of them made attempts to escape before the police arrested them in Donorojo, Pacitan district, bordering Central Java. According to police reports, the immigrants were on their way to Australia for seeking asylum.