Twenty one Chinese citizens detained for alleged immigration violation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The South Jakarta Immigration Office announced on Friday the detention of 21 Chinese nationals and the confiscation of their passports, pending investigation into alleged immigration violations.

During a recent Operation Wira Waspada, immigration officers discovered the individuals working as "laborers" for several engineering companies in the Cilandak Utara area, according to South Jakarta Immigration Office head Bugie Kurniawan during a press briefing here.

Operation Wira Waspada is designed to provide legal certainty for foreign nationals in Indonesia and to ensure compliance with the country's laws and regulations.

The investigation is ongoing. Officers have also seized other pieces of evidence, including company-issued ID cards, safety jackets, and helmets.

Initial findings suggest that several Chinese nationals had misused their stay permits, while others possessed valid work permits but were employed by companies inappropriately, Kurniawan explained.

The engineering firms involved were identified only by their initials: PT. B, PT. C, PT. In T, PT. F, and PT. V.

Based on the collected evidence, officers concluded that the Chinese nationals had knowingly worked at these companies.

Immigration authorities will continue verifying the individuals’ documents to determine whether they violated Indonesia’s Immigration Law No. 6/2011, Kurniawan added.