Indonesia will review its visa-free entry policy for nationals of some Southeast Asian countries after police detained more than 500 people in raids on illegal gambling and scam operations last week, immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said on Wednesday. [1, 2, 3]
Authorities made the arrests in two separate operations, one targeting an online gambling ring in Jakarta and another aimed at a scamming syndicate in Batam, in Riau Islands province. [1, 2, 3]
Those detained included nationals of Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar, all of which have 30-day visa-free stays in Indonesia, as well as nationals of China, which is not part of the waiver scheme. Investigators said many suspected members of the Jakarta gambling network had entered Indonesia using visa waivers or permits on arrival. [1, 2, 3]
Marantoko said the cases showed the need to re-evaluate the policy and called the activity a matter of serious concern. He said, "Cases of foreigners involved in illegal activities, including those coming from countries granted visa-free entry facilities, give rise to a need for evaluation." [1, 2, 3]
Immigration authorities said they have carried out more than 6,700 administrative actions in recent weeks, including more than 2,000 deportations and cancellations of stay permits. [1, 2, 3]
SCMP reported that on May 7, police arrested 321 foreigners in western Jakarta over allegations they ran 75 online gambling websites from a commercial building, and that as of Saturday 275 of them had been named as suspects and charged with immigration violations, gambling and money laundering. [4]
Indonesia was set to continue its review of the visa waiver policy after the latest raids and related immigration actions. [1, 2, 3]
