Palembang Immigration Nab Nine Chinese, One Indian For Visa Violation

PALEMBANG, S Sumatra, Jan 20 (Antara)- Palembang immigration office has 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, said here 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. In 2016, the Palembang immigration office had nabbed 33 foreigners hailing from, among others, China, Myanmar, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Riau law and human rights office, received passports of 24 of the 35 Chinese nationals recently detained after they failed to show necessary legal documents while working in a steam power plant in Tenjayan Raya, Pekanbaru, Riau. "PT HYPEC company representatives came to the immigration office, bringing with them 24 Chinese passports. Since there were 35 detainees, passports of the rest might follow soon," Ferdinand Siagian, head of the Riau law and human rights office, revealed in Pekanbaru, Riau on Thursday. The office will study whether they have visas and permits to work in Riau. The authorities will also call PT Hypec, a subcontractor of the State-owned Electricity Company (PLN) to determine whether they have a permit to employ foreign workers in Riau. On January 12, the Jakarta and Bogor immigration officers had detained a total of 32 foreigner women for working as prostitutes in Indonesia. Of these 32 women, five were from Morocco, 11 from Vietnam, five from Kazakhstan, five from Uzbekistan, five from China and one from Russia. On Wednesday (Jan 18), immigration officers at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport had refused entry to five women from Morocco for failing to explain the purpose of their visit.