Surabaya targets 400,000 expats<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
About 400,000 foreigners living in the East Java capital,
\nSurabaya, have failed to fulfill documentation requirements
\nexcept for birth certificates, even though they have been living
\nhere for decades and have raised families from their marriages
\nwith locals.<\/p>\n
Provincial population office head A. Hartojo said the local
\nadministration would likely find difficulties in providing
\nadequate services for the unregistered foreigners.<\/p>\n
But on the other hand, it was impossible to deport them
\nbecause they had been living in the town for decades, he added.<\/p>\n
Most of the unregistered foreigners stay in Kembang Jepun and
\nAmpel.<\/p>\n
\"Surabaya has long faced social problems, including
\ndifficulties in providing services for its residents. In order to
\nprevent other problems with public services in the future, we ask
\nthe foreigners to contact the local office to apply for their
\ndocuments,\" Hartojo said.<\/p>\n
Surabaya is the second-largest city in Indonesia after
\nJakarta. It is home to around five million people, but only 2.6
\nmillion are registered at the municipal office. The remaining
\nthree million are not recorded.<\/p>\n
\"Population-related problems have been rife because the making
\nof blueprints for development planning has been based on the
\npopulation that is officially registered at the office,\" Hartojo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, home to some 220 million people, has difficulties
\nin detecting the presence of foreigners due to poor monitoring by
\npolice and other relevant authorities.<\/p>\n
The awareness on population registration has only increased
\nfollowing warnings on threats of transnational crimes, such as
\nterrorism and people-trafficking, and increasing problems on
\nforeigners seeking asylum.<\/p>\n
For example, in a recent operation targeting foreigners in the
\nEast Kalimantan capital, Samarinda, 52 foreigners were netted in
\na raid for failure to produce work permits and temporary identity
\ncards.<\/p>\n
The raid was carried out jointly by the local police,
\nimmigration office, manpower and transmigration office and the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
Data from the Balikpapan immigration office shows that about
\n1,600 foreigners work in the city. Most come from Australia, the
\nUnited States and France.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Papua Police also arrested two Pakistani nationals.
\nThey were charged with possessing and circulating counterfeit
\nmoney.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surabaya-targets-400000-expats-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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