I'm blacklisted?<\/p>\n
On April 5, 1997, I was on my way to a midnight movie at a
\nlocal theater in Central Jakarta, when three men stopped me. One
\nof them said they were from immigration and wanted to see my
\npassport. I asked to see their identification. One of them
\nproduced identification so we went back to my house where I
\nshowed them my passport which contained a valid visa and an entry
\nstamp.<\/p>\n
The leader said I would have to go to their headquarters, near
\nthe Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, with my passport so
\nthey could compare the information in it with the data in their
\ncomputer. So my wife, daughter and myself, along with three
\nofficials headed off to their headquarters at 1 a.m.<\/p>\n
At the headquarters, the computer said I was \"blacklisted\",
\nsupposed to be prevented from entering Indonesia. Three questions
\nimmediately sprang to mind:<\/p>\n
1. When I was deported on Feb. 18, 1997, why didn't the
\nimmigration officials tell me or my wife that I was blacklisted?<\/p>\n
2. Why did the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore issue me another
\nSocial Visa on Feb. 25, 1997 if I was blacklisted?<\/p>\n
3. If I'm blacklisted, how did I get through the immigration
\ncheckpoint at the Jakarta international airport on March 19,
\n1997? Why did they stamp my entry card?<\/p>\n
Indonesian government officials were not able to answer my
\nquestions.<\/p>\n
I was told I would have to be deported again. My wife,
\ndaughter and I were taken home where my son joined us. Here I was
\nallowed to pack for a long trip, both in distance and time. The
\nimmigration officials waited six hours for me to pack.<\/p>\n
Next I was taken to the airport where I bid my family farewell
\nbefore I boarded an expensive Singapore Airlines flight to
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
This situation is a good example of Indonesian government
\nofficials' incompetence.<\/p>\n
My wife recently went to see the Director General of
\nImmigration to plead for the reunification of our family. Of
\ncourse, following his usual pattern of behavior in any matter
\nthat may call for a little bit of compassion, he refused to see
\nher. He's also never replied to the question of the whereabouts
\nof my belongings, which were confiscated by immigration.<\/p>\n
The American embassy in Singapore, which seems to be staffed
\nby decent, honest people, has accepted and is processing my
\napplication for a repatriation loan.<\/p>\n
At the time of writing this letter, I'm still waiting for a
\ndecision from Washington. The U.S. embassy in Jakarta refused to
\nallow me to submit an application for a repatriation loan.<\/p>\n
I will continue to fight for truth, justice, honesty and
\nliberty.<\/p>\n
JACK WEST<\/p>\n
Singapore<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/im-blacklisted-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }