Seven Sri Lankans arrested in Kupang

Thu, 05/15/2008 12:19 PM  |  The Archipelago

KUPANG: Police in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, are interrogating seven Sri Lankans suspected of being members of the Tamil Eelam separatist movement.

Spokesman for the provincial police Comr. Marthen Radja said here recently the suspicion was based on a preliminary interrogation conducted by local immigration authorities.

"They initially claimed to be Indian citizens, but later confessed to being Sri Lankans and members of the Tamil Tiger rebels," Radja told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

"The preliminary interrogation was conducted to verify their identities and nationalities," he said.

Radja said the seven were arrested in a house owned by Melki Kandamete in Kelamalima village, Kupang. Four of the seven did not possess passports or immigration documents.

The suspects reportedly stopped over in the city on their way to illegally enter Australia via traditional fishing boats.

The city has become a transit for people from Asia and China illegally migrating to neighboring countries using boats. --JP

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