TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsRiau Islands immigration cracks down on foreigners working illegally
Batam Immigration office detained five Chinese nationals and a Malaysian while immigration authorities in Ranai deported two Malaysians.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Batam Immigration Office displays five Chinese passports and a Malaysian passport (top right) and other documents during a press conference in Batam, Riau Islands, on April 13, 2026. Six foreigners were detained for violation of their stay permits by working in Batam. (Courtesy of Batam Immigration Office/-)
I
mmigration authorities in Riau Islands detained six foreigners for abuse of their stay permits by working illegally in industry and construction in Batam during a recent enforcement operation, as well as deporting two Malaysians for working in ship repair without permits in Ranai.
The Batam operation took place from March until April 10 and involved intensified supervision of foreigners employed in industrial estates without proper documentation, Batam Immigration Office head Wahyu Eka Putra said on Monday.
“In total we detained six foreigners, consisting of five Chinese nationals and a Malaysian,” Wahyu told a press conference at his office.
“They are suspected of violating their stay permits by working.”
The monitoring operation began in March when immigration officers found two Chinese nationals, identified only as PK and RZ, in an industrial estate. Both were discovered in a project area and were suspected of actively working, although they only had limited stay permits.
The operation continued into early April when immigration officers detained another three Chinese nationals, identified only as WPB, YL and YX, in a construction site. They were suspected of conducting technical work while issued with B211 visit visas. Although this type of visa can be used for, among other things, business activities, it cannot be used for employment.
Meanwhile, a Malaysian, identified only as MS, was also detained because he was working as an instructor at an occupational safety training company while holding a visitor’s visa, which does not allow a foreigner to work.
