41 illegal immigrants arrested in Sumbawa
The Jakarta Post, Mataram | Tue, 01/04/2011 9:46 AM
The West Nusa Tenggara Police have arrested 41 suspected illegal immigrants from the Middle East who were allegedly attempting to enter Australia by boat.
West Nusa Tenggara Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukarman Husein said on Monday that the 41 immigrants were arrested last Wednesday after their boat ran aground on Poto Pedu beach in Sumbawa regency.
The 41 immigrants are being detained by the West Nusa Tenggara Police, Sukarman said, adding that they were all from Iran or Iraq, and that most held Australian tourist visas.
“They said they departed from Bali and Surabaya,” he said.
The police did not question the boat’s three Indonesian crew members.
In a related development, the local police detained 78 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan in East Lombok.
“They were arrested while journeying on two buses in an operation on New Year’s Eve. They are being detained at the East Lombok Police,” Sukarman said.
