CILEGON POLICE ARREST 68 AFGHANS FOR ILLEGAL ENTRY

Serang, Banten, April 17 (ANTARA) - Local police have arrested 68 Afghan nationals at Villa Tri Murti in Anyer, Banten Province, for entering Indonesia illegally.

"The 68 Afghans are expected to be picked up by Banten immigration officers today," Cilegon Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Dwi Gunawan said here on Friday.

The arrest of the foreigners was made after the police got a tip off from local people who were suspicious of the foreigners who had been staying at the villa on Anyer beach for several days.

The Afghan nationals would be detained at the Banten immigration office for further investigation, he said.

"Many Afghan nationals have been arrested so far for entering Indonesia without the required legal documents," the policeman said.

The Cilegon police had stepped up their patrols in Banten waters as the area was a convenient gateway for illegal immigrants needing a transit point to go to another country or to stay in Indonesia, he said.

The 68 Afghan citizens said they wanted to go to Australia because their country was torn by civil war.

The Cilegon police meanwhile had called on the local people to report to the police if they encounter foreigners staying in the area.

"The latest arrest were made possible because the local people informed the police," Dwi Gunawan said.

Meanwhile, Bogor immigration officers detained 22 Afghan nationals in the Puncak area on April 2, 2009, on suspicion they were illegal immigrants.

The Afghans were suspected of being victims of human trafficking involving a major syndicate, Ade Endang Dachlan, head of the Bogor immigration office, said.

Last March 2009, Batam immigration officers detained four illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"They entered Batam through a public seaport from Malaysia, but we don't know exactly from Johor or somewhere else...." Batam Immigration Office Head Dirman Sukardi said recently.