RI immigration policy<\/p>\n
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has openly criticized the new
\nU.S. immigration policy requiring Indonesian males to register
\nwith immigration authorities in that country. He called the
\npolicy discriminatory and unacceptable. However, as far as I am
\nconcerned Indonesia's immigration policy is worse.<\/p>\n
In May 2002 I traveled eight times to the Embassy in The Hague
\nto get a visa for my third trip to Indonesia. I had an invitation
\nletter and I handed over all the required documents. I was
\nrequired to register with the Immigration Office in Indonesia
\nbefore Sept. 6, 2002 (I arrived in Indonesia on June 16).<\/p>\n
On Aug. 27 I was in the immigration office to lengthen my
\nvisa. The highest ranked officer told me that I was illegal in
\nthe country and had to pay more than Rp 2,500,000. I was totally
\nsurprised and embarrassed.<\/p>\n
I was training 25 school managers in Jakarta in policy
\nplanning, marketing and management skills for free and the
\nembassy (in The Hague) provides first the wrong information and
\nthen the government takes my money. In any case I had to pay the
\nmoney or leave the country.<\/p>\n
After Aug. 27 I had to return to the Immigration Office
\nseveral times. I have stamps in my passport on Aug. 28, Sept. 6,
\nSept. 10, Oct. 10, Oct. 12 and Oct. 15. And sometimes I had to
\ncome back two or three times for one stamp. And every time I had
\nto wait hours and hours.<\/p>\n
Every time I had to fill in the same data, I had to make
\ndozens of copies for myself and others, every time I needed new
\nsponsor letters and copies of tickets, passport photos, identity
\ncards and so on. In October the immigration office again required
\nnew passport photos and fingerprints. And I had to go not only to
\nthe immigration office in Jatinegara several times, but to the
\nimmigration office in Central Jakarta too.<\/p>\n
My assistant also gets more and more confused about the
\nintentions of a disordered organization. And every time I had to
\npay money. This four months of bureaucracy cost me more than Rp 6
\nmillion, more than 70 hours of hard work and a full file.<\/p>\n
I did not give up. On Oct. 20 I returned to the Netherlands
\nand I wrote a letter to the ambassador. He did not provide me
\nwith a visa. I have now a Short Visit Pass.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 26 thousands of Indonesian students visited the
\nHolland Education Fair 2003 in Jakarta, organized by The
\nNetherlands Education Center. All our universities and common
\nfamilies are willing to do their utmost to help the young people
\nhere. Can the government not accept that there are Dutch citizens
\nlike me in this country?<\/p>\n
HARRY RENDERS, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-immigration-policy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }