Immigration Hand Over Legal Process 3 Australian Nationals Enter RI with Cessna to Kejaksaan

JAKARTA - The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Immigration, Ministry of Immigration and Correction (Kemenimipas) has handed over the legal process of three Australian foreign nationals (WNA) to the Attorney General's Office for trial regarding illegal entry into Indonesia.

Director General of Immigration (Dirjen) Hendarsam Marantoko at the Directorate General of Immigration Office, Jakarta, Thursday, said the three Australian nationals with the initials YPD as the pilot of the plane and two passengers with the initials ZA and DTL were suspected of violating the Immigration Law, or illegally entering Indonesia through Merauke by boarding the PA Cessna plane belonging to the Stirling Helicopters airline.

"If the language is that they have committed an 'illegal entry', they entered illegally," said Hendarsam as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, April 9.

The chronology of this case occurred around the beginning of November 2025, when the plane carrying four people consisting of three Australian foreigners and one Indonesian acting as co-pilot.

The aircraft and the pilot and co-pilot received permission to fly from Australia to Indonesia, namely traveling from Cairn International Airport in Australia to Mopah Merauke Airport in Indonesia.

However, on the way, the plane, which was piloted by an Australian pilot and an Indonesian co-pilot, first transited at the Coen Airport in Australia to refuel.

Then, transit again at the Port Steward Australia Airport to pick up two passengers without valid travel documents and valid visas.

"This Port Steward airport is a runway without immigration officers," he said.

He said that the two passengers of the plane were not listed in the flight manifest. When landing in Merauke, they were detected by immigration officers and underwent intensive examination.

Then, the three Australian foreign nationals were taken to the Directorate General of Immigration to undergo detention on December 2, 2025. Then, on December 15, 2025, a letter was issued to start an investigation into the three Australian foreign nationals and one Indonesian citizen.

"February 18, 2026, the determination of suspects for three foreign nationals (WNA) from Australia was published, while one Indonesian citizen, his status is in the development stage," he said.

During the investigation process, the three Australian WNA were placed in the Salemba Detention Center, Jakarta, and on April 8, 2026, the file was declared complete or P-21 by the Attorney General's Office.

Furthermore, the Immigration Directorate General officers handed over the suspects and evidence to be immediately tried by the Merauke District Attorney's Office.

Director of Supervision and Enforcement of the Directorate General of Immigration Yuldi Yusman confirmed that the two Australian foreign nationals who were passengers on the plane were fugitives and had just been released from prison for drug cases in Australia.

"Also found were drugs of the type of methamphetamine with a small size of less than one gram," he said.

City prisoners

Based on the results of the investigation, both of them are in the status of city detainees, so their motive is to escape to Indonesia.

"Why are they going to Merauke, because it's the closest distance to Australia, because the plane they are on is a small plane," said Yuldi.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Legal Affairs Sub-Directorate of the Attorney General's Office, Hadiman, said the transfer of suspects and evidence of the case of three Australian WNA to the Merauke District Attorney's Office will be carried out next Wednesday.

After the transfer, it will be followed by a trial which is estimated to last a week, after the transfer is carried out.

"The threat of punishment for this immigration violation is five years," said Hadiman.