Indonesian immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said the government was reassessing visa waiver arrangements following a surge in cases involving foreign nationals allegedly engaged in cyber fraud, online gambling and other illicit activities.

Authorities last week detained more than 500 suspects in two separate operations targeting an online gambling syndicate in Jakarta and a scam network in Batam in the eastern Riau Islands province, officials said.

Those arrested included nationals from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar, all of which currently benefit from Indonesia’s 30-day visa-free entry scheme. Chinese nationals were also among those detained, although China is not covered by the waiver policy.

“Cases of foreigners involved in illegal activities, including those coming from countries granted visa-free entry facilities, give rise to evaluation” of existing policies, Hendarsam said in a statement released by immigration authorities.

Investigators found that many suspects linked to the Jakarta gambling operation had entered Indonesia either under visa-free arrangements or through permits issued on arrival, according to officials.

Indonesia has intensified immigration enforcement in recent weeks as authorities seek to curb transnational cybercrime and illegal online betting operations, which have proliferated across parts of Southeast Asia.

Hendarsam said immigration authorities had conducted more than 6,700 administrative enforcement actions in recent weeks, including over 2,000 deportations and revocations of residence permits tied to immigration violations and criminal investigations.

Southeast Asian governments have faced mounting pressure to crack down on cross-border scam compounds and online gambling syndicates, many of which operate through regional networks involving foreign workers and digital financial transactions.