Batam immigration wises up for tourist influx

By Prasetyo Subekti

BATAM, Riau (JP): Frequent travelers between Batam and Singapore have been enjoying a new facility since the beginning of the month courtesy of the local immigration office.

Holders of the new "Smart Card" are entitled to speedy immigration service when they arrive and depart this industrial island which is now one of Indonesia's main tourist gateways as well as a favorite weekend retreat for residents of Singapore.

A special counter has been set up at Batam's ferry terminal for cardholders. Although they still must carry their passports, they no longer are required to show them to the immigration officer.

All they have to do is produce a plastic card, the size of an ordinary credit card, in which information about their immigration status is stored in the tiny micro-processor chip inserted in the card.

The Smart Card Electronic Passport System was introduced to provide a fast, efficient and secure way of screening frequent travelers at the various immigration check points in the Riau Islands, officials here said.

"It is a restricted passport" Indonesian ambassador to Singapore Sudibyo Rahardjo said at the formal launching of the card at Nongsa ferry terminal early this month.

"It will be issued to Indonesians and foreigners who are frequent visitors to these resort islands," said Sudibyo, whose office in Singapore will issue the cards.

Batam Island, situated some 20 kilometers from Singapore, is now being developed as a center for manufacturing and tourism, Sudibyo said while explaining the necessity of the card.

Located at the center of the growth triangle linking Singapore, Johor (Malaysia) and Riau (Indonesia), Batam also attracts international tourists who visit Singapore to go yachting or play golf.

There are at least 7,000 yachts in Singapore, and if each one carrying five passengers docks at Batam once a year, then Indonesia is looking at 35,000 additional tourists.

The card has already been used in a limited way since 1991 by Singapore-based workers of Batamindo, which pioneered Batam's development.

"At that time only about 150 people were using the Smart Card," Batam immigration chief Ajat Sudrajat Havid said.

With the official expansion of the card system, the government has issued at least 2,000 cards this month. Indonesians get green cards while Singaporeans are given red ones.

The card system is also employed at the immigration checkpoints of Sekupang, Nongsa ferry terminal and Batu Ampar at Batam. Their use will eventually be extended to Tanjung Pinang and Teluk Sebong on Bintan Island, and then to other places in the Riau archipelago which are being developed as part of the industrial complex that is centered in Batam.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman said his office is fully behind the card scheme and has declared a number of cities around Batam as special territories for immigration purposes since 1983.

"Foreigners who work and stay in these territories can enjoy facilities in arranging visas and passports," Oetojo said.

The introduction of the card system is expected to boost foreign investment in Batam and its surrounding areas besides encouraging tourists, businessmen and professionals to come and develop the regions, Oetojo said.

The software installed at the immigration checkpoints to process the Smart Card can also detect whether or not the holder has been blacklisted by immigration since the time the card was issued.

The Immigration Office is not simply vying for current frequent travelers, who are almost automatically allowed to apply, but also prospective frequent travelers now that Batam offers leisure activities such as golf and sports clubs for those who reside in Singapore.

They are also available for Indonesians who travel frequently to the islands.