Immigration office deports French journalists

Jayapura immigration office deported two French nationals Wednesday after finding them guilty of violating their visa terms.

Head of the immigration office Robert Silalahi told Antara state news agency that Baudouin Koenig, 54, and Carole Lorthiois, 27, left Jayapura on Wednesday morning for Jakarta, where they would be expelled from the country.

Robert said the two French nationals had no reporting permit in Papua but were caught filming a demonstration outside the Papua legislative council on Monday. The official added that Koenig only had a permit to film documentary footage on cultural activities in Aceh, Jakarta, Bali, Gorontalo and Sorong in West Papua, while Lorthiois just had a tourist visa.

“The rally they covered had nothing to do with the documentary they were working on,” Robert said.

The two journalists were employed by Mano a Mano, a Paris-based production company, for a documentary project about Indonesia's rise as a modern Muslim-majority state for Arte TV.

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