REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SUKABUMI -- The Immigration Office of Sukabumi, West Java, has deported five Chinese for misusing visa permit. Two were deported in February and three in April, Hasrullah said, adding the office had also deported two South Koreans, and one each from Taiwan, Bangladesh, Egypt and the Philippines.

"The five Chinese were deported for immigration offense working in Indonesia without working permit," head of the Sukabumi Immigration office Hasrullah said here on Friday.

The deportations showed that "we are firm in dealing with illegal visitors and those misusing their visa permit, he said.

Also read: West Java immigration office to strengthen supervision over foreign workers

Issue of employment and illegal employment of foreign workers has been a hot public debate in the country. Tens of thousands of workers took to the street in big cities all over the country on May day (May 1) protecting government police to facilitate entry of foreign workers.

The issue gave ammunition for government critics and op[position groups to attack the present regime ahead of the presidential elections in the country next year.

The government said the policy is to attract foreign investment, claiming only workers with certain skills are allowed to have jobs in the country.

Protesters, however, said thousands of foreign blue collar workers had been employed in a number of projects mainly by Chinese contractors and companies.

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