BENGKULU POLICE NAB ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM SRI LANKA

Bengkulu, INDONESIA, July 25 (ANTARA) - Police in Bengkulu, Sumatra, have arrested 19 illegal immigrants from Sri Lanka who had run away from UNHCR-provided accomodations in Lombok.

The chief of the Gading Cempaka sector police in Benkulu city, Adjunct Commissioner Jhony Tri Satria confirmed the arrest here on Saturday but said he could not comment much about it.

"We have no authority to comment on it. It is the Bengkulu regional police command that has the right to do so," he said.

Seven of the immigrants were being interrogated by the police at the Gading Cempaka police sector.

They are Mahenthiran Varnan (25), Subra Maniam (20), Soma Sundaram Vijayarot (28), Arumugian Susikaran (24), Vethana Yogiam Reinold (28), Thaigiavadievel Pakeerrathan (28) and Kulaserakam Sriswara (39).

"We went to Bengkulu only for sightseeing and to visit some tourism objects," Arumugian Susikaran said.

Five of the immigrants are now detained at the Bengkulu regional police command and five others at the South Benkulu police resort command.

The immigrants also told the police that they had been in Jakarta before arriving in Bengkulu.

The police caught them because they did carry passports but only papers from the UNHCR.***