Brunei

Foreigners arrested, detained, sentenced for immigration violations

Four Indonesians and two Indians were apprehended on 25 April during a raid operation in six areas of the Brunei-Muara District. A 38-year-old Indian man whose pass had expired more than 1,000 days ago was arrested in Kg Perpindahan Burong Pingai, Berakas. Another Indian, 36, whose immigration pass expired 525 days ago, was detained by officers in Kg Lambak Berakas. Further, special passes were issued to two Indonesian females suspected of working at a food stall in Kg Salambigar under a social visitor’s pass.

Sixteen foreigners were apprehended by the Law Enforcement Section, Department of Immigration and National Registration on 22 April when five special passes were issued during the inspection. A 38-year-old paperless Indonesian was nabbed at a house in Kg Salambigar and is being held at the BSB Police Station.

An operation targeting the rented houses of foreign workers, a retail store and a restaurant in Tutong apprehended 15 foreign workers. Two Indian nationals, Nagaraj Karuppan, 41, and Alagappan Vellaichamy, 46, who had unlawfully stayed in the country for a period of 1,074 days and 254 days, respectively were caught by authorities in a raid in Tutong district. An inspection in a retail store netted three Indians having a different sponsorship and another foreign worker holding a job position not related to the retail store. Another Indian national is also being investigated on suspicion of hiring the said suspects. Another inspection in another retail store in the district uncovered an Indian national with a work permit as a cobbler but working as a shop laborer instead.

The Belait Immigration Enforcement Section issued fourteen special passes to Indonesian, Indian and Filipino workers during an operation targeting a retail store and a house construction site in Tutong. The workers failed to provide the authorities with photocopies of their passports containing immigration endorsement passes. One of the Indonesian workers is suspected of breaching the work pass stating that he works as a welder.

An Indonesian man, 38, whose immigration pass had expired for 110 days, was arrested at a rented room behind a workshop located in Kg Bebatik and will be brought to court soon. Another Indonesian, 46, and a Bangladeshi, 35, were arrested for not having any proper documents and are currently being held at BSB Police State. Special passes were issued to a 27-year-old Indonesian woman living with her husband in Kg Bebatik and a 49-year-old Indian national working at a store in Kg Mulaut Kilanas.

An Indonesian woman, Marlinda Muhamad Yusuf, was sentenced to jail for a year after being found guilty of an immigration charge. Yusuf had been repatriated to Indonesia in 2005 for an immigration offence and was prohibited from entering Brunei Darussalam. However, she applied for a new passport with her birth date altered and reentered the country via Miri, Sarawak. Yusuf was arrested on 9 January at a restaurant where she had been working after securing an employment pass for a period of three weeks.

A 30-year-old Indonesian man, Admin bin Sanmejo, who unlawfully stayed in Brunei Darussalam from 29 December 2006, was sentenced to three months in jail and three strokes of the cane on 19 April. He was arrested by a team of immigration personnel from the Bandar Enforcement Section at a rented house located in the vicinity of Kampong Bebatik, Kilanas.

A Filipino man, 37, was temporarily detained at the BSB police station for further investigation after an inspection at a rented house in Kg Kupang Tutong.

A 38-year-old Filipino woman with an expired immigration pass has been nabbed. The Malaysian man whom she claimed was her husband will be charged with harboring an immigration offender. The Filipino woman was temporarily held at the BSB police station and will be brought to court.

A 32-year-old Filipino woman, Erlinda Enso Jabar, who overstayed since 21 December 2006 was recently sentenced to four months’ jail after she pleaded guilty to overstaying in the country. She was arrested by a team of immigration personnel from the Enforcement Section at a rented house in Kg Jerudong Selayun.

An Indian, Anandavalaiyapathy Natesan, 36, who overstayed in the country, was sentenced to three months in jail and three strokes of the cane. The defendant surrendered himself to the Enforcement Section at the Immigration Department.

Two paperless Bangladeshi men, who were detained in a raid on a rented house at Jln Bengkurong Masin, were charged with a fine of $100 after their passes were found to have expired for five days.

Sources: Rol Ezam, “Filipino overstays for 100 days, gets 4 months’ jail," Borneo Bulletin, 18 April 2007; Yusrin Junaidi, “Five netted in immigration raids," Borneo Bulletin, 18 April 2007; Rol Ezam, “Illegal stay sends man to prison," Borneo Bulletin, 20 April 2007; Malai FadleyRizal, “New passport fails to save offender," Borneo Bulletin, 20 April 2007; Amin Hosni, “Foreigners netted in immigration raid," Borneo Bulletin, 20 April 2007; Liza Mohd, “Six arrested in Tutong for immigration offences," Brudirect.com, 21 April 2007; Amin Hosni, “Immigration offenders netted," Borneo Bulletin, 24 April 2007; Liza Mohd, “Special passes issued to 14 foreign workers in Tutong," Borneo Bulletin, 24 April 2007; Malai FadleyRizal, “Overstayer gets three months, cane," Borneo Bulletin, 27 April 2007; Za’im Zaini and Amin Hosni, “Six foreigners netted in ‘Ops Bongkar 47," Borneo Bulletin, 27 April 2007