Alleged Vietnamese sex workers nabbed by Indonesian gov’t
Indonesian authorities have arrested 32 foreigners, mostly from Vietnam, who were allegedly working as prostitutes in multiple entertainment venues across Jakarta.
The arrests were made following investigations by Indonesia’s Immigration Office under their Law and Human Rights Ministry, which said on January 13 that the foreigners had violated immigration procedures, The Jakarta Post reported on January 15.
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| Ten Chinese and Vietnamese nationals arrested in an immigration operation appeared at a press conference in Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia on January 5, 2017. Photo: The Jakarta Post |
A total of 32 suspected female sex workers, mostly from Vietnam, were arrested during a string of raids on January 12 at three entertainment centers in West Jakarta, North Jakarta and Bogor in West Java, the paper said, citing Yurod Saleh, head of the Immigration Office’s foreign nationals watchdog.
Twenty-seven passports issued by Vietnam, Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Morocco and Russia were confiscated during the raids, along with five million Indonesian rupiahs (US$375) in cash, cellphones, contraceptives and karaoke hostess uniforms.
The arrested women had allegedly overstayed their tourist visas and other visas on arrival, and failed to present their passports upon request from Indonesian investigators, the newspaper reported, again citing Saleh.
The arrests are the second operation carried out in three weeks, with a total of 137 alleged sex workers taken into custody by Indonesian authorities so far.
Investigators are looking into possible human trafficking networks responsible for sending the alleged sex workers to Indonesia.
On January 13, nearly 50 Vietnamese women were among dozens arrested in a series of raids by Malaysian authorities at four entertainment venues in the southern state of Johor.
