All companies in city told to register their expatriates

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration urged all companies to register expatriates on their payroll with the authorities.

The Jakarta chapter of the Foreigners Control Coordination (Sipora) team briefed on Tuesday representatives of more than 100 companies, including hotels, on the administration's policy toward foreign workers and on its plan to reregister all foreigners working in the country starting next month.

The team, comprising officials from the Directorate General of Immigration, Directorate General of Tax, tourism agencies, the police, as well as the Ministry of Manpower, said companies could help with the planned census.

"We'd like them to assist us in reporting the number of foreigners working at their company," Edison Sianturi, chief of SIPORA secretariat, told reporters after the briefing.

For hotel proprietors, besides registering expatriates on their payroll, they must also alert the authorities about foreign guests who are staying for more than three months.

Djoko Slamet Surjoputro, the director of tax services for foreign companies and foreigners at the Ministry of Finance, believed many expatriates have been working without the necessary papers, thus evading their tax obligations.

"It's only natural for the government to tax foreigners who are making their living in Indonesia," Djoko said.

The Directorate General for Immigration announced last week that the authorities would begin the periodic census of foreigners in the country on Aug. 10.

The last census was conducted in 1992.

All foreigners who have lived in Indonesia for more than three months must register with the nearest immigration office. The 1992 Law on Immigration stipulates a one-year jail term and a Rp 5 million (US$500) fine for those who fail to comply.

In 2000, 3,256,854 expatriates, including their dependents, were registered to live and work in Indonesia with the Directorate General for Immigration.

Iman Santoso, the director general of immigration, said the census on foreigners was a routine activity.

"Not only will this enable us to give them better protection, but it will also provide them with better (immigration) services," Iman said.

Under existing regulations, foreigners can only take up employment in restricted fields, usually in positions that could not be filled by Indonesians.

Iman said the census was intended to ensure compliance with the regulation. "We want to prevent locals from being forced out of their jobs by foreigners," he said.

The team acknowledged that the majority of companies in the capital have been cooperative.

"They have been reporting the number of foreign visitors and workers. We just want to brief them further so they fully understand the government's policy," Edison said.

Many representatives of the companies who were present at the briefing said they were aware of the sanctions if they failed to declare the number of visitors working or staying with them.

A representative of an American oil company who requested anonymity said his company had always complied with the government regulations on employing foreigners.

"Why risk having trouble with the authorities? It's more practical to simply comply with the rules," he said.

Sumaryono, accounting manager of Karya Bahana hotel on Jl. Jaksa in Central Jakarta, said he did not have any problem with the regulation to report his foreign guests.

"We want our business to run as smoothly as possible," he said, adding: "We have been registering our guests anyway." (06)