Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian authorities have dismantled an international human smuggling network that facilitated the illegal departure of foreign nationals to Australia via Indonesia.
Indonesia’s national news agency ANTARA reported that the West Jakarta Immigration Office under the Directorate General of Immigration uncovered the syndicate following public reports about foreigners suspected of illegally possessing Indonesian electronic identity cards (e-KTP) in West Jakarta.
During a raid conducted on January 12, immigration officers arrested three suspects, including two Chinese nationals identified as SS (37) and XS (39), and one Thai national identified as PK (27). Authorities seized passports, counterfeit ID cards and communication devices used by the perpetrators.
Investigations identified SS as the mastermind of the syndicate. The suspect admitted to paying 90 million IDR (about 5,300 USD) to an Indonesian citizen to obtain a set of fraudulent documents, including an e-KTP, family card and birth certificate, which were used to rent accommodation and operate the smuggling network.
The group targeted Chinese nationals seeking asylum or illegal employment in Australia. Victims reportedly flew independently to Jakarta, where they were housed temporarily before being transported to Merauke in Papua province, from where they attempted to travel by boat to Australia. The fee for each successful case was 60,000 yuan (around 7,500 USD).
Suspect XS confessed to organising the smuggling of five people to Australia. However, all were later detained by Australian immigration authorities.
The head of the West Jakarta Immigration Office said the suspects would face strict penalties under Indonesia’s Immigration Law No. 6/2011, including deportation and permanent bans from re-entering Indonesia. He added that authorities are continuing to expand investigations to pursue the Indonesian individual involved in supplying counterfeit documents to the network./.
