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Oz pathologist deported, banned from Indonesia for 6 months
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Australian forensic pathologist Beng Beng Ong (right) testifies as a witness in the trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso for the murder of Wayan Mirna Salihin at the Central Jakarta District Court. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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ustralian forensic pathologist Beng Beng Ong, who testified for murder defendant Jessica Kumala Wongso in the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday, was deported from Indonesia on Tuesday for a visa violation.
Besides deporting Ong, the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s immigration office also banned him from reentering Indonesia for six months, Central Jakarta Immigration Office head Tato Juliadin Hidayawan said.
“Ong came to the country on a free visa for a short visit but he appeared as an expert witness in court. His activity was not accommodated in the visa he held. If he had planned to testify as a witness in the court, Ong should have applied for a limited stay visa," he said on Tuesday.
The senior lecturer at Queensland University's School of Medicine was deported to Australia via Singapore on Wednesday.
The immigration office decided to question Ong after monitoring Jessica's trial, which has been broadcast live on several television channels. On Monday night, the foreigner monitoring team visited the court to observe Ong and the next day the Immigration Office confiscated his passport for investigation. The passport was returned upon his deportation.
Meanwhile, immigration office spokesman Heru Santoso Ananta Yudha said the deportation was due to administrative misconduct, not criminal conduct.
"According to our investigation, Ong has violated his immigration permit," Heru said.
The Central Jakarta District Court has begun presenting witnesses from Jessica's camp in the notorious cyanide coffee murder of Wayan Mirna Salihin. Jessica is the sole suspect in the case. (rin)
