TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Indonesian authorities arrested 103 foreign nationals in Bali during a raid on Wednesday (June 26), including at least 14 Taiwanese nationals.
Initial news reports indicated that the detainees included Taiwanese, Malaysian, and Chinese citizens, per Antara News. However, after a press conference on Friday (June 28), international media outlets reported that all 103 of the detainees were Taiwanese, per CNA.
The raid was carried out on a villa in Tabanan District at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, and resulted in the detention of 91 men and 12 women, and the seizure of dozens of electronic devices including smartphones, tablets, and computers. According to Indonesia’s Director of Immigration and Enforcement, Safar Mohammed Godam, the group was engaging in cyber crimes to defraud people in other countries, primarily in Malaysia.
At Friday’s press conference, a group of 17 detainees and a similar number of Taiwanese passports were displayed for the public while immigration authorities discussed the arrests.
All detainees are being held at an immigration facility in Denpasar, reported Antara News. Because the crimes targeted victims outside of Indonesia, and due to a lack of physical evidence, some reports suggest the case is unlikely to result in criminal convictions in local courts.
Rather than going to trial, the detainees are expected to be deported in the coming weeks. Indonesia’s diplomatic relationship with China may complicate deportation of the Taiwanese suspects back to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its office in Indonesia had asked for a list of the suspects and would send consular staff to Bali, per CNA. MOFA said it hoped that once the investigation completed, Indonesia would transfer the suspects to Taiwan.