Passport check<\/p>\n
On Nov. 1 around midnight on Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, three
\nBritish subjects were riding in a taxi heading for Cafe B in the
\narea. The vehicle was stopped in front of Bank Exim by a police
\nofficer wearing a military police badge.<\/p>\n
The officer, with badge number 30157 and fluent in English,
\nasked the foreigners to produce their passports. None of them was
\ncarrying one. The officer used this as an excuse to menace them
\nwith imprisonment.<\/p>\n
The three men explained that they did not know that in
\nIndonesia, every foreigner had to carry his passport with him.
\nOne of them showed his driving license, but to no avail. A
\nsuggestion to fetch their passports from the hotel was not
\nresponded to. The officer continued to intimidate them. Finally,
\nhe offered his \"help\" for the only settlement he would accept:
\nThey had to pay Rp 100,000 each.<\/p>\n
Such treatment brings shame to us Indonesians. The three
\nBritons were determined to report their case to the British
\nembassy and to write of their experience to British newspapers.
\nThe officer has not only marred tourism promotion, now in full
\nswing, but has also increased the economic cost when we do
\nbusiness with foreigners. Just think: Who will bear the loss in
\nthe end?<\/p>\n
Name and address<\/p>\n
known to the editor<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passport-check-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }