In brief
Bima immigration officials deported a 47‑year‑old Chinese national on the grounds that he used a 60‑day visit visa to run a seaweed trading business in Dompu District, West Nusa Tenggara. Investigators found he had established a company that bought, processed, and exported 30 metric tons of seaweed to Surabaya and China. The deportation comes with a five‑year entry ban and a warning to all foreign nationals to respect their visa conditions.
In the remote island province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia’s Bima immigration office has ordered the deportation of a 47‑year‑old Chinese national for exploiting a visit visa to conduct a commercial seaweed trade in Dompu District.
The investigation began when immigration officers in Hu’u Village noticed the suspect, referred to only as WY by officials, purchasing large quantities of seaweed from a processing plant. Staff checked the product’s quality and, after the buy‑back, brought WY to the Bima Immigration Office for questioning about his residence documents and business activities.
Officials discovered WY held a multiple‑entry visit visa allowing stays of up to 60 days, yet he had established a company in Indonesia to purchase seaweed from Hu’u Subdistrict, sell it to customers in Surabaya, and export nearly 30 metric tons to China. The company’s trading activity, prohibited for a visitor under Indonesian law, violated Articles 122(a) and 123(a) of Indonesia’s Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration.
Bima Immigration Office Head Joko Widodo announced that WY would face administrative measures, including detention, deportation, and a five‑year ban on re‑entry to Indonesia. WY was escorted by immigration officers to Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport in Lombok, and the flight departed on Friday, October 30.
Widodo, in a statement received in Bima on Saturday, urged all foreign nationals in Indonesia to ensure their activities matched the type of stay permit they hold and called on the public to report any suspected misuse of stay permits to the relevant authorities. The case underscores Indonesia’s enforcement of visa regulations in its peripheral provinces and its willingness to remove non‑compliant foreigners from the country.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether WY appealed the ban or whether the Chinese government has responded. Nevertheless, the incident serves as a reminder to overseas investors and expatriates that commercial enterprises in Indonesia must be carried out under the appropriate business or residence permits, not under temporary visitor visas.
