Dealing with immigration

Dealing with immigration

From Kompas

After visiting Singapore, a friend of mine from Europe came to Indonesia in one day in June 2002 at 9.15 p.m. by Cathay Pacific (flight number 711). Upon arrival at Soekarno-Hatta airport, like other tourists, he had to first go through immigration control to enter Indonesia. To his surprise, before entering the control gate, an immigration officer asked him for Rp 500,000.

At first, my friend refused to give him the money because the officer failed to show him any regulation requiring a tourist to pay such a fee. It was not his first visit to this country and he had no problem with his papers, but the officer adamantly refused to let him enter without the money.

When my foreign friend met me, he expressed his disappointment to me about the officer. He could not understand why the officer did not clarify the issue or issue a receipt for the money that was paid.

I wonder if the Directorate General of Immigration or Department of Health has issued a new regulation obliging a tourist to pay a certain amount before entering Indonesia. But why did the officer not give any explanation?

My friend went home with a feeling of deep resentment. And he deserves an explanation.

FINDA MARLINA

Depok, West Java