REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GARUT - Garut police have arrested a suspect on charge of running attempt to cross illegal Rohingya immigrants to Australia from the regency of Garut, West Java.

MS (31) planned to cross 106 illegal immigrants, ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar to Australia via a location in the Indian Ocean coast in Garut in southern West Java.

MS, from Bogor, had collected money from the illegal immigrants, district police chief Adj. Sr. Comr Arif Rachman said here on Tuesday.

Police had also detained five others with the status of witness including the driver and conductor of a bus that would take the immigrants to the location from which they were to cross to Australia.

"The driver and the conductors are still witnesses in status but they could also be named suspects depending on investigations," Arif said.

Police have also confiscated 35 lifebuoys and hand phones as evidence and detained a bus and two other cars to be used to transport the immigrants, he said.

MS told his investigators he was paid Rp20 million to carry the illegal immigrants to the location in the coast from which they would cross to Australia.

He said he organized the transport of the illegal immigrants form Bogor to Garut.

"I was forced to do that for money to repay a debt," he told police.

The 106 illegal immigrants are now in police detention in Garut, Arif said.

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