DUMAI, KOMPAS.com - A police team patrolling the sea off Dumai city intercepted a boat carrying 18 illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan who are now being held at the Dumai Water Police headquarters.
The capture of the illegal immigrants who were on their way to Java en route to Australia happened about one mile off the coast of Medang Kampai subdistrict, Dumai, at about 02.30 local time on Thursday.
Head of the Dumai Water Police, Adjunct Commissioner Wilson, told reporters the boat carrying the illegals had come from Malaysian waters and was headed to Dumai port. They consisted of three Pakistanis and 15 Afghans who lacked official travel documents. Their boat was manned by a few Dumai residents.
The police had not yet handed them over to the local immigration office pending the arrival of a representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Wilson said.
"When they were apprehended and about to be taken in, they did not resist. We are still keeping them until an IOM representative arrives. Then we will hand them over to the immigration office."
