Govt to deport 15 foreigners

Fri, 04/11/2008 12:32 PM  |  National

JAKARTA: The government will deport 15 foreign activists who took part in a rally outside the State Palace and the Agriculture Ministry's office on Tuesday.

"We will deport two of them Friday. The remaining are still waiting for air tickets," said Dahlan Pasaribu, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Immigration, on Thursday.

The National Police arrested the activists shortly after the rally.

The activists came from Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, South Korea and Thailand.

"We find their activities violate immigration law by misusing their passports to stage the rally," Dahlan said.

The activists' visit to Indonesia was sponsored by the People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty to monitor food security, not to hold a rally, added Dahlan. --JP

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Rafiq Mahmood (not verified) — Mon, 06/02/2008 - 11:45pm

What is wrong with holding a rally as long as it is peaceful? How is it misusing their passports? Their passports are identity documents issued by their respective governments and any misuse is a matter for them and not the Indonesian authorities unless they were forged documents.

Perhaps they should have covered their faces and weilded machetes and bamboo sticks. Then they might have got away with whatever crime they were supposed to have done.

Everyone has the right to speak and demonstrate peacefully against what they see as wrong. Foreigners can often be more perceptive and their voices are as valuable as anyone else.

What was the rally about, by the way?

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