Director General of Immigration Reveals Three Pillars for Strengthening Indonesia's Border Security

Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, has outlined three strategic pillars underpinning Indonesia’s immigration system. Speaking at the 29th ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM) forum in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Friday, he detailed the approach. “Strengthening border checks, surveillance of foreign nationals, and the integration of digital services are the three pillars supporting Indonesia’s immigration system. Supported by cross-agency collaboration, we have been able to detect immigration violations and transnational crimes early, whether before, during, or after the inspection process,” he stated. In the border security sector, the Directorate General of Immigration is optimising risk-based analysis through the Passengers Analysis Unit at Immigration Checkpoints and the central Immigration Traffic Monitoring Centre. Hendarsam also highlighted the effectiveness of the Foreigner Reporting Application, which is integrated with the Indonesian National Police. This system contributed to the arrest of 210 foreign nationals linked to an online investment fraud case in Batam in early May 2026, preventing the misuse of residence permits. On the same day, the Director General held a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Department of Home Affairs. “I had the opportunity to dialogue with the Australian Department of Home Affairs today. The timing was opportune, and we proposed that the procedure for issuing Working Holiday Visas for Indonesian citizens be managed proportionally by the Australian government. Our proposal is a Ballot System, which is more suitable for ensuring fairness, transparency, and efficiency in managing the high volume of applicants from Indonesia,” Hendarsam explained. At the regional level, Indonesia has been appointed as the Voluntary Lead Shepherd for the issue of People Smuggling in the implementation of the DGICM Plan of Action. Other areas of regional cooperation are led by Cambodia (Intelligence Data Sharing Protocol), Malaysia (Foreign Terrorist Fighters Movement), Singapore (Fraudulent Travel Documents), and Brunei Darussalam (Consular Matters). “Transnational crime challenges require an integrated solution. Through Indonesia’s mandate as Lead Shepherd for handling people smuggling, we encourage a real commitment from all ASEAN members to strengthen intelligence information exchange and technology alignment for a safer and more resilient region,” he concluded.