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Indonesia: Ten Afghan illegals sought after fleeing detention Surabaya. Police and immigration officials were searching late on Tuesday for 10 illegal Afghan migrants who broke out of a detention center in East Java. The migrants, arrested over the weekend, were being detained in a hallway on the second floor of the immigration office in Malang district, but escaped early on Tuesday after breaking security bars on the windows, leaving their belongings behind. "The last time the warden checked on them at 2 a.m, they were still there, but during the 4 a.m. check time they were gone," said Sutrisno, chief of surveillance and sanction at the immigration office. The Jakarta Globe

Indonesia: Gov't claims it is unable to stem tide of illegals Despite an apparent rise in the number of illegal migrants using Indonesia as a stepping-stone on their way to Australia, immigration officials say they can do nothing more to stem... Indonesia: Police arrest 28 Afghanis bound for Australia Indonesian police have arrested 28 Afghanis trying to make their way to Australia. Police chief Muji Supriyadi said the men were seized today at a ferry crossing 100km west of... Indonesia: Five Afghan nationals repatriated back home Five Afghan nationals were deported to their home country on Wednesday after being detained for more than a month at the immigration detention center in Pekanbaru, Riau, an official said...

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Indonesia: Police arrest two suspected people smugglers

Indonesian police have arrested two suspected people smugglers, including one accused of organising an ill-fated sea journey that left several asylum seekers dead. Police arrested one man in Makassar, on the island of Sulawesi, on Monday, reliable sources said. Authorities...
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Indonesia: Thirty Afghans, others arrested in immigration raid

Rokan Hilir Police in Riau province arrested 34 foreign nationals and 19 illegal Indonesian migrant workers Tuesday arriving by boat from Malaysia, as they were making their way by car to Medan, North Sumatra. Rokan Hilir Police chief Adj. Sr....
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Indonesia: Five former diplomats convicted of embezzling immigration fees

The Corruption Court convicted five former officials to the Indonesian consulate general in Kinabalu, Malaysia, to 20 months in prison Wednesday for their involvement in embezzling immigration fees between 2000 and 2005. Muhammad Sukarna, the consul general from 2000 to...
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Indonesia: Police team to work with Aussie counterparts to refine anti-crime strategies

A team of Indonesian police left for Australia on Sunday to work with police there in a bid to refine strategies to stem transnational crime, including illegal immigration. Brig. Gen. Boy Salamudin, director of special crimes at the National Police's...
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Indonesia: Australian laxity led to increase in smuggling

Indonesia experienced an increase in the number of suspected refugees transiting through its borders at the same time Australia was softening its border protection policies. Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Primo Alui Joelianto, said Indonesian-based people-smugglers had exploited changes to Australian...
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Indonesia: Lawyer for alleged smuggler fights extradition

A lawyer for an alleged people smuggler says his client should not be extradited to Australia because he has broken no laws in Indonesia. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the extradition was approved by Indonesia's President last night. The imminent...
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Indonesia: Authorities apprehend 68 Afghan illegals enroute to Australia

Jakarta (AFP) -- Sixty-eight migrants from Afghanistan have been arrested in Indonesia as they were planning to enter Australia illegally, a report said Friday. The migrants were arrested in a hotel at the beach resort of Anyer, near the capital...
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Indonesia: Authorities nab Afghan people smuggler

An Afghan man who allegedly organised the passage of several boatloads of his fellow countrymen to Australia last year has been arrested by Indonesian authorities and will be extradited to Australia. The arrest was announced by officials from both countries...
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Indonesia: Asian and Pacific leaders discuss smuggling, refugees

Nusa Dua (AFP) -- Asia Pacific ministers met Tuesday on Indonesia's resort island of Bali to discuss people smuggling and the plight of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority, officials said. The two-day ministerial conference in Nusa Dua is being co-hosted by...
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Indonesia: Thousands of foreign placements on hold as employers adjust

Thousands of prospective Indonesian migrant workers are on hold as destination countries have to fix new labour quotas given global downturn Chairman of the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesia Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, told...
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Indonesia: Lack of skills, poor education blamed for low quality of 'labor exports'

Lack of skills and a low level of education have been blamed for the poor quality of Indonesian migrant workers going abroad. Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno said that of the estimated 6 million Indonesians working abroad, some 75...
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Indonesia: Bangladeshi illegal caught living as full-fledged citizen

Jember, East Java -- A Bangladeshi national who has been living in Indonesia for years without the required papers - and had even voted in past Indonesian general elections - was arrested on Tuesday by local immigration officers. Mohammad Tobi,...
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Indonesia: Authorities nab U.S. national smuggling illegals

Jakarta -- A US national has been arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of fraud and people-smuggling involving dozens of Chinese citizens who allegedly paid him to be taken into Australia, officials said on Wednesday. The Straits Times (Singapore)...
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