Indonesia Deports Chinese National Over Illegal Seaweed Trade in West Nusa Tenggara
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- Bima immigration authorities deported 47-year-old Chinese national WY and slapped him with a five-year entry ban for illegally running a seaweed trade on a visit visa.
- Operating in Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, WY purchased and exported roughly 30 metric tons of seaweed through a locally established entity, violating his 60-day tourist visa terms.
- Officials escorted WY out of Indonesia via Lombok’s airport on Oct. 30, 2026, while urging the public to report foreign nationals misusing stay permits.
BIMA, INDONESIAN POST — Immigration officials in Bima have deported a 47-year-old Chinese national for misusing a visit visa to conduct an illegal seaweed trading business in Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara province.
Bima Immigration Office Head Joko Widodo stated that the enforcement action was taken after investigators discovered that the individual, identified only by the initials WY, engaged in commercial activities prohibited under his immigration status.
“WY’s activities constituted a misuse of a stay permit and violated applicable immigration regulations,” Widodo said in a statement released in Bima on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
The violation came to light during routine surveillance conducted by the office’s immigration intelligence and enforcement team in Hu’u Village, located within the Hu’u District of Dompu Regency.
Enforcement officers grew suspicious after observing WY purchasing bulk quantities of seaweed and personally inspecting commodity quality at a local processing facility.
Following these findings, officers escorted WY to the Bima Immigration Office for formal questioning regarding his business operations and travel credentials.
Investigators determined that while WY held a multiple-entry visit visa allowing stays of up to 60 days per entry, he was actively running a commercial business through an entity he had established in Indonesia.
Using the company as a front, WY bought roughly 30 metric tons of seaweed from a processing plant in Hu’u District, which he then resold to clients in Surabaya and exported directly to China.
Widodo noted that the investigation concluded WY violated Articles 122(a) and 123(a) of Law No. 6/2011 on Immigration.
As a result, the Bima Immigration Office levied strict administrative sanctions, including detention, deportation, and a five-year blacklisting from entering Indonesia.
“WY was consequently subjected to administrative sanctions, including detention, deportation, and a five-year re-entry ban,” Widodo said.
Officers escorted WY to Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport in Lombok, where he was deported on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
Widodo urged all foreign nationals residing in or visiting Indonesia to strictly comply with national immigration laws and ensure their activities strictly align with their issued stay permits.
He also called on the public to assist law enforcement by reporting any suspected immigration infractions by foreign nationals to local authorities.
The immigration office will continue to closely monitor the presence and activities of foreign nationals across its jurisdiction to maintain regulatory compliance, Widodo added.
