In view of the prospect, the government had urged the citizens to abide by the rules existing in the foreign country.
"These are our citizens who have entered the US and their stay permits have expired. Therefore, we appeal to them to abide by the existing rules," foreign ministry spokesman Michael Tene said here on Friday.
The 95 Indonesian citizens to be deported had lived in Garrison City, New Hampshire, for around 20 years. They said they had chosen to stay in the US to avoid inter-group violence and restrictions on were religious freedom.
Tene said "their reasons are not true because none is threatening their religious freedom in Indonesia."
He said the state guarantees religious freedom in the country. Indeed, he said, there were cases of human rights violations but they were isolated incidents.
"There has never been a conscious or systematic effort to suppress minority groups. All kinds of groups and religions are allowed to exist in Indonesia," he said.
The Indonesian citizens who are to be deported left for the US in the 1990s. "We have asked them to abide by the existing regulations there," Tene said.
The Indonesian citizens would be deported in two batches with the first totaling 37 to return home on February 29, 2012 at the latest and the second in November, 2012. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
