According to the government's controversial new policy, visa- on-arrival facilities will be terminated for an as yet unknown number of countries starting Dec. 1, 2003.

Incredibly enough, with only a few more weeks to go until the onset of the December peak tourist season, the government so far has not only failed to announce which countries are to be affected by its new visa policy, but also to issue details regarding the implementation of the policy.

Despite its far-reaching consequences for Indonesia's tourist industry, this issue surprisingly has failed to attract widespread media interest and neither embassy staff nor travel agencies are in a position to shed light on the subject.

In the absence of visa-on-arrival facilities, visitors from affected countries would have to undergo cumbersome visa application procedures prior to their departure, and it is anybody's guess how many of these people would opt for more welcoming and hassle-free tourist destinations instead.

The visa-on-arrival policy has worked perfectly well in the past and no tangible benefits can be achieved by its discontinuation.

The introduction of "visa-on-arrival fees" would not only be a far more sensible solution but also justified by the fact that most foreign embassies in Jakarta charge Indonesian applicants "visa processing fees".

With the Dec. 1 deadline now fast approaching, the government's new visa policy needs to be clarified immediately if further confusion and damage to the county's tourist industry are to be avoided.

JOSEPH LOUIS SPARTZ Jakarta