Seeventeen Illegal Iranian Immigrants Detained In North Sumatra

Medan, N Sumatra, Aug 27 (Antara) - Seventeen illegal immigrants from Iran were detained at a Belawan-based immigration detention house in North Sumatra Province as they failed to present the legal documents while entering Indonesia, noted an immigration officer. "They have stayed at the detention house for a long time, and we have reported their whereabouts to the Iranian Embassy in Jakarta," Head of Medan Immigration Detention House Purbanus Sinaga informed Antara here on Wednesday. During their stay at the detention house, the Iranians were treated fairly, he stated, adding that the detention house currently accommodates 283 illegal immigrants from various countries. Among them were illegal immigrants from Afghanistan (26), Bangladesh (11), Palestine (17), Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar (59), Somalia (62), Sri Lanka (40), Iran (17), Sudan (22), Eritrea (2), South Africa (1), Pakistan (9), Chinese Taipei (1), and Nepal (1), he revealed. Referring to the people smuggling cases in Indonesia, Antara has noted that the illegal immigrants use Indonesia as their transit point for going to their final destination, Australia.