Indonesia to deport 4 Australia tourists who joined protests

Jakarta, Sept 2 (AP) An immigration official says Indonesia is deporting four Australian tourists for participating in a protest calling for the independence of restive Papua province. The official in West Papua province's Sorong city, Cun Sudiharto, said Monday that police detained the tourists for having joined the protest near the mayor's office last Tuesday.

He identified the tourists as Tom Baxter, Danielle Joy Hellyer, Ruth Irene Cobbold and Cheryl Melinda Davidson. He said the first three would be deported from Bali later Monday and the fourth on Thursday for ticketing reasons.

Sudiharto said that under Indonesia's immigration laws, foreigners are not allowed to join protests without permits. Thousands of Papuans have demonstrated in the past week for the region's independence and against racist remarks by security forces.(AP)

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