Belu people criticize E.Timor visa ruling

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People in the East Timor regency of Belu expressed disappointment over the country's recent ruling to impose a US$25 visa on visitors from Indonesia, which it borders.

A number of local figures warned on Tuesday that the visa ruling, which took effect on April 19, would burden East Timor more than it would Indonesia.

Belu resident and local figure Nikolaus Tnano estimated the visa ruling would have little impact on the life of people in Belu.

"Don't think that by asking for a $25 visa it would hurt East Nusa Tenggara people living close to the border," said Nikolaus, as quoted by Antara.

East Timorese, meanwhile, must pay around $30 to get a visa to enter Indonesia.

Nikolaus said that most people who traveled to East Timor did so because they had family members in that country. There were only a few of them, he said.

But he said that the visa ruling would hurt trading activities between the two countries. "People in East Timor will have difficulty in buying basic commodities."

He explained that many traders from Indonesia sold their products in East Timor. Villages along the borders of East Timor, he said, depended on food supplies from Indonesia.

Another local figure, David Manek, expressed his disappointment, with a similar warning to East Timor.

"The people and the government of East Timor shouldn't think that people in Belu have a keen interest in going to East Timor, and so become anxious because of the visa ruling," he said.

Belu resident Gregorius M. Fernandez said the visa ruling would affect East Timorese living close to the border.

"The government of East Timor may be seeking to get some extra income through the visitor visas, but this ruling is hurting the majority of small people in the villages," said Gregorius, who works for the UNICEF office in East Timor.

East Timor broke away from Indonesia in 1999 when a UN-backed referendum resulted in the people overwhelmingly voting for independence.

Four years later, the former province is struggling to raise funds as it still relies on development aid from international agencies.

Border security, meanwhile, remains slack. An immigration official at the Indonesian border town of Atambua said people from either country often crossed the border without bothering to show their passport. Many of these people, he said, did not even have a passport in which to stamp a visa.