KABUL): Seventy-seven Afghan citizens have been arrested for entering Indonesia illegally, a media report said on Tuesday.
The arrests took place near Jakarta on Sunday, the Antara news agency reported, saying police had turned the detainees over to the Karawang immigration office.
An immigration office spokesperson told the news agency the illegal immigrants were trying to reach Australia and seek asylum there. The Afghans planned to travel to Surabaya in East Java, Tito Andriano said.
Seventeen of the illegal immigrants managed to escape after being detained, according to the Karawang immigration office acting chief.
Last month, 95 people were killed and more than 100 others went missing when a ship carrying immigrants capsized off Prigi in East Java. Most of the victims were from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey.
PAN Monitor/mud
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