Police arrest 52 illegal migrants

DENPASAR: Bali maritime authorities arrested 52 illegal migrants, who were en route to Australia, on a boat off Kubu, Karangasem, on Saturday.

“Fifty of them are from Afghanistan while the rest are from Iraq and Pakistan. The group also includes two women and four children,” Bali Police spokesman Snr. Comr. Sugianyar Dwi Putra said, adding that the migrants were being held at an immigration facility in Jimbaran, Badung.

The officers also arrested boat skipper Maskur and his assistant Adi, both of whom face charges of sailing without proper documents, which carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Four of the migrants jumped into the sea in an attempt to evade arrest, but were rescued by officers.

“Some of them claimed they possessed asylum seeker status granted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,” he said, adding that police had notified UNHCR Indonesia about the migrants. — JP