JAKARTA, April 28 — Indonesian authorities have discovered 68 foreign nationals, including Rohingya and Bangladeshi citizens, at a palm oil plantation in Dumai, Riau province, believed to be preparing for a sea crossing to Malaysia.
Local residents spotted the group at around 10.40pm local time on Saturday (April 26) along Jalan Parit 2 in the Tanjung Penyembal subdistrict and immediately alerted the police and immigration authorities.
“The group consists of 26 Bangladeshi nationals and 42 Rohingya individuals, including 10 women and two children,” Dumai immigration enforcement unit head Totok Purnawan told Metro TV.
Police and immigration officials have launched a joint investigation into the incident. The authorities said that further action will be taken as enquiries continue.
“Preliminary findings suggest that the group intended to travel to Malaysia using illegal maritime routes,” he said.
— Bernama
