City nets 55 foreign nationals lacking proper papers

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 01/08/2009 9:06 PM  

During its annual inspection in 2008, the City Population and Civil Registration Agency found 55 of the 241 foreign nationals working in 62 companies across the capital failed to have proper and up-to-date documentation. 

Twenty-nine foreign nationals had not renewed their visitor identity cards, 12 had not confirmed their addresses, eight had failed to renew their temporary stay permits, four had no permit to work and two had no letters of self-report from the police. 

"Japanese and Korean employees topped the violators' list. We also found some Americans and Europeans who failed to complete their documents," said Edi Sianturi, head of the monitoring division at the agency. 

According to data held by the population agency, 49,000 foreign nationals hold extendible visit permits and 5,000 permanent residents have that status because they have lived here for more than five years continuously. 

The aim of the operation was to control the city population and to identify any foreign nationals residing in the city illegally, he said. 

In December 2008, the city police arrested 40 Chinese nationals, two Vietnamese, two Thai, three Uzbekistani and one Mongolian during a 10-day raid, called Operasi Bunga (flower operation, flower connoting prostitution). The foreign nationals, mostly women, were taken into custody from cafes and bars, and are suspected victims of human trafficking. 

In total the operation recorded 16 trafficking violations and apprehended 321 women, most of whom were allegedly soliciting.