Jakarta. Indonesian immigration authorities have intercepted 23 Vietnamese nationals in North Maluku allegedly attempting to use the archipelago as a transit point to Australia in what officials believe is part of a human trafficking network.

The individuals were apprehended at a hotel and a rented house in Ternate City on Monday following coordinated surveillance by the Ternate Class I Immigration Office and the Central Sulawesi’s immigration authorities.

“We initially detained nine people at a hotel in North Ternate. Further investigation led us to another 14 individuals at a nearby rented house, bringing the total to 23,” said Mohammad Ridwan, Head of North Maluku’s Immigration Office. “This operation is the result of cross-regional coordination, after we received a tip-off from colleagues in Central Sulawesi about a group of Vietnamese nationals en route to Ternate.”

The group was allegedly planning to travel to Ambon before attempting to reach Australia via sea routes. Authorities confiscated passports, recently issued Indonesian visas, and mobile phones from the group. According to immigration officials, several of the detainees had previously entered Indonesia through Batam, though not on a regular basis.

Ridwan said the Vietnamese nationals were likely victims of a transnational human trafficking operation and will be deported soon to allow Vietnamese law enforcement to pursue criminal proceedings in their home country.

“This appears to be a new modus operandi of human trafficking carried out by Vietnamese nationals. Since both the victims and the suspected traffickers are from Vietnam, legal action must be taken by Vietnamese authorities,” he said.

He added that alongside deportation, the immigration office will also issue formal entry bans to prevent their return to Indonesia.

“This isn’t just deportation, we’re enforcing a travel ban to deter future misuse of Indonesia as a transit hub for illegal migration,” Ridwan said.

The group reportedly entered Ternate on July 24 and was taken into custody on July 26 after surveillance showed they had no activities aside from sightseeing. Authorities believe their intended route mirrored that of other smuggling cases in the region: through Ambon and onward by sea to Australia.

Separately, the Mataram Immigration Office in West Nusa Tenggara, arrested 16 Bangladeshi nationals hiding in three rental homes in Lombok. That group was also believed to be part of a transnational smuggling syndicate targeting Australia as the final destination.