Three Chinese nationals have reportedly been arrested in Benoa Harbor for incomplete documentation.
The Chinese men were arrested aboard the Tongkang (TK GD 1301) by a joint team of Benoa Sea Port Police and Immigration Enforcement officers.
All three are now being held for further examination at the Benoa Immigration Office.
The arrest was made after rumors started to circulate that there were men aboard the Tongkang who would often invite “female entertainers” (aka prostitutes) on the boat.
After conducting a check on the boat, it turned out the three Chinese men could not show proper documentation, such as passports and/or other supporting documents related to their employment.
“The investigation is about whether or not they were working illegally in Indonesia. Two people had passports but no work permit, while the other had no identity documents at all. None of them speak English,” Benoa Police Commissioner I Nyoman Gatra said on Tuesday, as quoted by Merdeka.
While there’s probably truth to the chatter about the kupu kupu malam brought aboard the boat, police say they are more concerned about the Chinese men working here illegally than the prostitutes.
“Certainly the information from the public is right about that. But that’s not the problem, it’s a matter regarding the legality of their working in Indonesia,” Gatra said, responding to talk of prostitutes.
