BALI, RAKYAT NEWS— The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali has revealed that ten Chinese nationals were detained for engaging in illegal e-commerce activities, including selling electricity tokens, household goods, and mobile phone credit.

“These individuals were conducting e-commerce and direct trading activities with China,” stated Pramella Yunidar Pasaribu, Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Bali, during a press conference in Jimbaran, Badung, Bali, on Monday.

Pasaribu emphasized that the activities of these Chinese nationals posed a threat to the local economy as they violated the terms of their stay permits. “These 10 foreign nationals have been arrested for engaging in activities that endanger the community,” she added.

Ngurah Rai Immigration Office Chief Suhendra explained that the ten Chinese nationals entered Bali on business visas. “They were supposed to be here for business discussions or purchasing goods related to business,” Suhendra clarified.

The ten individuals arrived in Bali in stages during April, May, and June 2024. Currently, one of them is being held at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office’s detention center, while the other nine are detained at the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center in Jimbaran, Badung.

In the near future, the authorities plan to deport these individuals and recommend their inclusion on the blacklist, preventing their re-entry into Indonesia. This decision will be finalized by the Directorate General of Immigration in Jakarta.

The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office previously apprehended these ten Chinese nationals on Thursday, July 11, at a villa in South Kuta, Badung, Bali. The detainees are identified as CW (38), WM (39), JA (22), XW (36), JW (33), ZL (32), XZ (27), XT (28), ZW (26), and YL (35).