Water Police Detain 56 Illegal Immigrants

Jakarta (Antara) - Water police of the Jakarta Water Police Directorate arrested 56 illegal immigrants from Iraq, Iran and Pakistan around the waters of Pulau Laki, Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islnds) in North Jakarta on Wednesday. "They came from Iran, Iraq and Pakistan," Senior Commissioner Makhruzi Rahman, Water Police Director of the Jakarta Regional Police, said here on Wednesday. He said that initially the water police unit of Tangerang District (Banten) carried out a water patrol in Muara Mauk waters, just in the west of Pulau Laki. They were suspicious to see a motor vessel named "Kian Santang" which seemed to be carrying foreigners. When the police investigated them, they found tens of foreigners suspected to come from the Middle East. Besides arresting the illegal immigrants, the police also detained three crew members of the Kian Santang boat, namely Asnawi (50), Kaharudin (29) and Darwis (45). (*)