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Govt seeks solution for 177 Indonesians detained in Philippines

Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, August 22, 2016

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Govt seeks solution for 177 Indonesians detained in Philippines Hundreds of haj pilgrims are caught in a stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, in 2015. (AP/-)

T

he government is seeking solutions to immediately process the deportation of 177 Indonesians detained by Philippine authorities for trying to pass as Filipino pilgrims, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has said.

Yasonna said on Monday that his office, the Foreign Ministry and the directorate general of immigration were closely cooperating with the Philippine government through the Indonesian Embassy to progress the deportation of Indonesians who had misrepresented themselves as Filipinos and were considered undocumented and undesirable aliens.

"The perpetrators are using [the Philippine haj quota] because our own haj quota is limited. It surely violates the law [...] we are now in the process of solving the problem and deporting them back to the country," Yasonna said on Monday.

The 177 Indonesians caught using fake passports came from various parts of Indonesia including South Sulawesi and Java, Yasonna said. They had cooperated with a criminal syndicate consisting of Indonesian and Filipino citizens, which provided them with Philippine passports after they entered Philippine territory on Indonesian passports.

Yasonna said the government was also investigating information on the possible involvement of Indonesian immigration officials in the case. (dan)

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