Rohingya News Agency –(BERNAMA): The Garut Resort Police had detained at least 106 illegal migrants from Myanmar's Rohingya province, who were trying to cross to Australia through the southern waters of the Garut district in West Java Province, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported.
"We have secured 106 Rohingya people who wanted to cross to Australia through Indonesian waters," the Chief of Garut Police, Senior Commissioner Adjunct Arif Rachman said on Monday.
According to Antara, the immigrants' entourage had boarded a tourist bus from Jakarta. The police had inspected the bus at the Cibalong Sector Police station at 4am on Sunday after a citizen suspected that the bus was carrying illegal immigrants.
"Following the inspection we found that illegal immigrants had boarded the bus. We have secured the immigrants in the Sector Police station," Arif said..
The police said that among the 106 illegal immigrants, 67 were male, 19 female and 20 children.
Previously the Garut police had detained several illegal immigrants trying to cross to Australia through the Garut Sea and have been trying to secure the area along the southern coast of Garut by patrolling coastal areas.
"The illegal immigrants frequently use the coastal line in Garut for their mission to cross over to Australia. After we receive a tip off, we conduct security operations in a bid to prevent these immigrants from crossing over," Arif said.