"Most of them do not speak English."Malang, E. Java (ANTARA News) - A total of 68 Afghan and Sudanese immigrants being detained at the Malang immigration office will soon be taken to the Pasuruan immigration detention center in East Java.
Suharno, head of the surveillance and enforcement unit of the Malang immigration office, said here on Sunday they would be taken to the Pasuruan detention center after their identities had been recorded.
According to the immigration office, the 68 immigrants were rescued after being stranded at Wonogoro Beach in Malang district on Friday (April 20).
The office said 29 of them had no necessary documents, including immigration papers and identity cards.
"It is difficult to record data on the immigrants in details because most of them do not speak English," said Suharno.
Meanwhile, Titus Boska (32), one of the skippers of the fishing boat that carried the immigrants, has been arrested and will be taken to East Java provincial police for questioning. The other skippers are still at large.
The immigrants left Lumajang, East Java, for Christmas Island, Australia, aboard the fishing boat. It was believed the skippers had charged the immigrants US$5,000.
But as the boat was sailing off Malang`s southern coast it had engine trouble. Some of the immigrants jumped into the sea and swam to the seashore.
Police believed tens of immigrants were still missing.
Water police are still searching for the missing immigrants.
(Uu.A060/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
