Jayapura (ANTARA) - The Immigration Office Class I of Jayapura, Papua, Wednesday, deported 30 foreign nationals of Papua New Guinea through the Skouw border post situated in Jayapura City despite being closed over concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All 30 foreigners have been placed under detention at the Immigration Detention Center of Jayapura after being sentenced since 25 of them were involved in criminal cases, while the other five held Papua New Guinea passports but had overstayed.

The foreign nationals were sent to the detention house since the end of January this year since the Government of Papua New Guinea had closed the border after which the Indonesian government too decided to close the border in the start of February.

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The Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border is yet closed, so a special permission by both countries has to be issued for deportation, Gatut Setiawan, head of the Immigration Office of Jayapura, stated.

Two buses carried all the 30 deportees, while police cars escorted them to the border area.

After the 30 nationals of Papua New Guinea, the Immigration Detention Center of Jayapura is currently only detaining one Russian.

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