Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - The Immigration Office of the eastern Indonesian city of Jayapura in Papua province deported three Nepalese nationals on Thursday, stated spokesman Soenaryono.

"We have deported three immigrants from Nepal who allegedly wanted to seek asylum in Australia. They left Jayapura for Jakarta, on the Batik Air plane, at 8 a.m. this morning," noted Soenaryono on Thursday.

He explained that the three Nepalese nationals, identified as Prashain Prabhakar (19), Thapa Chhetri Rabindra (37) and Khadka Kama Kumar (30), were held on December 30, 2013 when they were about to have their visas extended at the Jayapura Immigration Office.

Soenaryono informed that they had told the immigration authorities that they wanted to make their way to Australia from Merauke on a motor boat, but had to get their visas extended in Jayapura before that.

"However, we have now deported them to Jakarta from where they will be flown to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then to their country of origin, Nepal," he noted.

Meanwhile, the immigration authorities in Batam, Riau Islands Province, deported 121 foreign nationals on various charges, last year.

"Most of the deportees were from Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar," Head of the Batam Immigration Office Yudi Kurniadi stated in Batam recently.

He added that 36 foreign nationals were deported after their stay permits had expired, and 40 were deported after being caught for illegal fishing in the Indonesian waters.

Four of the deportees were involved in smuggling activities, while 26 others had abused their stay permits, he noted.

Sixteen foreign nationals were deported after completing their respective jail terms for various criminal offenses, he remarked.

He noted that several foreign nationals had gained entry into Batam through the many illegal ports that are present.

Some of the foreign nationals used these illegal ports to smuggle drugs, he claimed.

"Some of the foreign nationals were directly deported to their countries, while others were sent to a detention facility in Tanjungpingan, prior to their deportation," he emphasized.

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