Latest news with #Indonesians
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Hotel taken over to detain illegal Indonesian fishers
A surge in the number of Indonesians caught fishing illegally in Australia's northern waters has forced authorities to take over a city hotel to house them ahead of their court cases. The makeshift detention centre is in Darwin's inner city Frontier Hotel, which is closed to the public and guarded by uniformed employees of service provider MTC. When AAP visited the hotel on Wednesday morning, notices on the doors said access was strictly limited to authorised personnel. In the foyer grey-shirted employees of MTC said the hotel was closed to the public but they could not provide any further information. Australian Fisheries Management Authority data shows more than 240 foreign fishers have been prosecuted in the Darwin Local Court since July 2024, up from 75 the previous year. With Darwin no longer having a dedicated detention centre for such detainees the hotel has become an alternative holding centre. The fishermen, who lose their boats when detained by Australian navy or border force patrols, are often handed good behaviour bonds after pleading guilty to illegal fishing charges and sent back to Indonesia. The Australian Border Force pointed AAP to the Migration Act 1958 that places a legal duty on the Department of Home Affairs, including the border force, to remove unlawful non-citizens in immigration detention as soon as reasonably practicable.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Hotel taken over to detain illegal Indonesian fishers
A surge in the number of Indonesians caught fishing illegally in Australia's northern waters has forced authorities to take over a city hotel to house them ahead of their court cases. The makeshift detention centre is in Darwin's inner city Frontier Hotel, which is closed to the public and guarded by uniformed employees of service provider MTC. When AAP visited the hotel on Wednesday morning, notices on the doors said access was strictly limited to authorised personnel. In the foyer grey-shirted employees of MTC said the hotel was closed to the public but they could not provide any further information. Australian Fisheries Management Authority data shows more than 240 foreign fishers have been prosecuted in the Darwin Local Court since July 2024, up from 75 the previous year. With Darwin no longer having a dedicated detention centre for such detainees the hotel has become an alternative holding centre. The fishermen, who lose their boats when detained by Australian navy or border force patrols, are often handed good behaviour bonds after pleading guilty to illegal fishing charges and sent back to Indonesia. The Australian Border Force pointed AAP to the Migration Act 1958 that places a legal duty on the Department of Home Affairs, including the border force, to remove unlawful non-citizens in immigration detention as soon as reasonably practicable.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
This time we're serious says Cambodia: Online scam detainees pass over 3,000 in latest campaign
A scene from a recent raid on an online scam compound. - Information ministry PHNOM PENH: The number of people detained in the latest online scam crackdown has passed 3,000, with most facing deportation. From June 27 to July 22, authorities conducted operations across 58 locations in Phnom Penh and 16 provinces, including Kandal, Preah Sihanouk, Kampong Speu, Banteay Meanchey, Kratie, Pursat, Kampot, Koh Kong, Oddar Meanchey, Stung Treng, Mondulkiri, Pailin, Takeo, Svay Rieng, Siem Reap and Tbong Khmum. In the course of the raids, 3,075 suspects (606 of them female) were arrested, including 1,028 Chinese, 693 Vietnamese, 366 Indonesians, 105 Indians, 101 Bangladeshis, 82 Thais, 57 Koreans, 81 Pakistanis, 13 Nepalese, four Malaysians, and others from the Philippines, Laos, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Mongolia, Russia and Myanmar, according to a report from the Secretariat of the Ad Hoc Committee to Combat Online Scams. The latest operation took place on July 22, in Phsar Doeum Thkov village in the capital's Chamkarmon district, with 127 arrests of four different nationalities. Authorities also 'rescued' 153 Vietnamese citizens in Pursat province. It was not made clear how victims were distinguished from suspects. Among the evidence seized were Chinese police uniforms, firearms, narcotics, computers and phones. In Phnom Penh, 11 ringleaders have been sent to court, with eight detained in custody. Seventeen Chinese nationals have been transferred to a deportation facility in Preah Sihanouk, and many other foreigners are now awaiting deportation. The secretariat said the increase in operation tempo follows their first meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet, who chairs the ad hoc committee, on July 15. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Tawau cockfighting ring fried in joint police operation
KOTA KINABALU: An illegal cockfighting syndicate involving hundreds of Philippines-bred fighting cocks has been dismantled by police. The operation followed two separate raids in Tawau, with total seizures amounting to RM3.28mil. Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim (pic) said 622 fighting cocks were seized and five suspects, including four foreigners, were arrested. Led by the department's Wildlife Crime Bureau/Special Investigation Intelligence squad, the raid, he said, was carried out at 2.30pm under the Integrated Khazanah Operation in Kampung Apas Parit and Kampung Membalua. Also involved in the joint operation were Tawau police, Tawau's Battalion 14 of the General Operations Force and enforcement personnel from the district Veterinary Services Department. In a statement, Comm Azmi said the first raid led to the arrest of two Indonesians and two Filipinos aged between 31 and 52. He said 470 fighting cocks were found, along with 40 cockfighting blades, 180 containers of vitamins and 500 specially-designed cages used for the birds. He said the second raid resulted in the arrest of a 57-year-old local man, along with the seizure of 152 fighting cocks also believed to have been imported illegally. Comm Azmi said all five suspects were being investigated under Section 15(1) of the Animal Enactment 2015 for possession of the fighting cocks without a permit. He said the foreign nationals were also being probed under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not having valid travel documents and work permits. They are also being investigated under Section 6 of the Dangerous Weapons Act 1958 for possession of sharp blades believed to be used for cockfighting purposes.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Five arrested in raid on cockfighting gang, RM3.28mil seized
KOTA KINABALU: Police have dismantled an illegal cockfighting gang involving Philippines-bred fighting cocks in Sabah's eastern district of Tawau. The operation involved two separate raids with total seizures amounting to RM3.28mil. Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said four foreign nationals and a local man, aged between 31 and 57, were arrested and 622 fighting cocks seized. Led by the department's Wildlife Crime Bureau/Special Investigation Intelligence, the raid was carried out at 2.30pm under the Integrated Khazanah operation in Kampung Apas Parit and Kampung Membalua. Officers from the Tawau District Police Headquarters, Tawau's Battalion 14 of the General Operations Force and enforcement personnel from the Veterinary Services Department Tawau branch were also involved. Azmi said the first raid took place at a house in Kampung Apas Parit, Jalan Apas Parit, and led to the arrest of four men, two Indonesians and two Filipinos, aged between 31 and 52. 'A total of 470 fighting cocks were found at the premises, along with 40 cockfighting blades, 180 containers of vitamins, and 500 specially-designed cages used for the birds,' he said in a statement on Sunday (July 20). The second raid was at Kampung Membalua off Jalan Apas, resulting in the arrest of a 57-year-old local man, along with the seizure of 152 live fighting cocks, also believed to have been imported illegally. All five individuals are being investigated under Section 15(1) of the Animal Enactment 2015 for the possession of animals without a licence. The foreign nationals are also being probed under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid travel documents and working without permits. They are also being investigated under Section 6 of the Dangerous Weapons Act 1958 for the possession of sharp blades suspected to be used for cockfighting purposes. 'This operation is part of ongoing efforts to combat all forms of illegal cockfighting and gambling activities in the state,' said Azmi.
