BADUNG, BALINEWS – The Denpasar Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim Denpasar) transferred 10 foreign nationals detained for immigration violations to the Kupang Immigration Detention Center in East Nusa Tenggara on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The transfer was carried out to improve facility management and address limitations in the budget allocated for detainees’ meals.
As of October 14, Rudenim Denpasar was holding 35 detainees, despite having a meal budget allocated for only 30 people. The facility has a maximum capacity of 80 detainees. Following the transfer of 10 individuals, the number of detainees in Denpasar dropped to 25, bringing the total below the number covered by the available meal budget.
The inter-facility transfer was approved by the Directorate General of Immigration and carried out with due consideration for security, order, and the protection of detainees’ basic rights. Upon arrival in Kupang, the receiving facility will continue handling their immigration cases, including efforts to deport them to their respective countries of origin.
Of the 10 detainees transferred, seven were held for overstaying their permitted periods of stay, while the other three were associated with cases involving disturbances to public order and security.
The seven detainees held for overstaying were identified by their initials as ZF and WR, both Afghan nationals; AAL, AMYL, and YYL, all Philippine nationals; PM, a Ugandan national; and ME, a Turkish national.
The other three detainees were PP, a Belarusian man; KJ, a Ugandan woman; and SMY, a Turkish man. Their cases involved incidents related to public order and security.
According to detention records, PP was apprehended following an incident at a hotel in the Lovina area in late January 2026. He was reported to have caused a disturbance after refusing to pay for an extension of his stay and declining to pay for purchases at nearby food stalls.
KJ was detained in Tabanan after entering a resident’s home while reportedly disoriented and without travel documents. Meanwhile, SMY was apprehended by an immigration patrol team at Canggu Point in late April 2026 following residents’ complaints about alleged vagrancy and requests for food, reportedly accompanied by claims that he had lost his valuables earlier in the year.
The transfer to Kupang was escorted by 21 officers from three immigration units: 14 personnel from the Kupang Immigration Detention Center, six from Rudenim Denpasar, and one from the Bali Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration.
Before departure, all detainees underwent administrative and medical examinations to ensure that the transfer was conducted safely, orderly, and in accordance with established procedures.
Teguh Mentalyadi, head of Rudenim Denpasar, said the transfer was part of a planned management measure based on operational needs and the facility’s capacity.
“Transfers between immigration detention centers are part of the detainee management mechanism, carried out according to operational needs. Throughout the process, we ensure that all procedures are followed, coordination is maintained, and security and the fulfillment of detainees’ basic rights remain priorities,” Teguh said.
He added that coordination among units under the Directorate General of Immigration would continue to be strengthened to support immigration administration and efforts to return detainees to their countries of origin effectively and accountably.
The latest transfer follows several similar reallocations carried out by Rudenim Denpasar throughout 2026. Previously, one Russian-Israeli national was transferred to the Jayapura Immigration Detention Center on February 24, one Algerian national to the Jakarta facility on May 19, and three detainees from Moldova, Nigeria, and Estonia to Kupang on June 9. Two additional detainees were transferred to Makassar in early September.
Following the latest transfer, Rudenim Denpasar is now holding 25 detainees, while responsibility for the continued handling of the 10 transferred individuals has been handed over to the Kupang Immigration Detention Center.
