Four Indians detained for illicit stay in Australia Sunday, July 25 2004 14:16 Hrs (IST)
Sydney:
Four Indians are among 23 foreign workers detained by Australian authorities for staying in the country without valid documents.
The foreigners were detained in a crackdown on 20 business establishments across Sydney by the Immigration Department, Immigration Minister Amanda Van stone said.
"Out of the total 23 people questioned, 19 were in Australia unlawfully and four had their visas cancelled for working in breach of their visa conditions," Van stone was quoted as saying by the 'Seven News'.
All the detainees have been kept at Villa wood Detention Centre in Sydney and arrangements are being made for deporting them, the report said.
The detainees also included five men from China, three from Nepal, two from Mongolia and one each from the Philippines, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Four women, who were detained, were from China, Peru, Macedonia and Indonesia.
The Immigration Ministry has also issued warning notices to their employees, the report said.