Easier tourist visas needed

This letter is in reference to the visa restrictions placed on non-Asean tourists to Indonesia.

Recently another Canadian and I vacationed in Indonesia. We started in Manado, went to Ternate, through Ambon to the Bandas, to Yogyakarta, and then to Semarang (while my friend went to Bali) before returning home to Thailand.

We had a wonderful time, and the highlight of the trip was the Bandas. So beautiful, pristine, and the people so friendly. We would have loved to have stayed there a second week, but due to our stay in Indonesia being restricted to only one month with no possibility of in-country extension, we could not. I much wanted to go with my friend to Bali, but I couldn't do that either if I wanted to see Indonesian friends living in Yogyakarta and Semarang, both places where I used to live years ago.

Why have these visa restrictions been introduced when Indonesia should be trying to increase tourist-arrival numbers, not cut them? I tried for a two-month visa while still in Bangkok, but I did not have a plane ticket yet (as I intended to fly from Kuala Lumpur), and so I was refused. After acquiring the plane ticket, I went to the embassy in Kuala Lumpur, filled out the forms, and then I was arbitrarily refused re-admittance because an embassy guard thought I was improperly dressed (I was dressed in the same clothes I had on when I went to get the forms at the embassy earlier that morning.)

So we only had a month. We both had lots of extra time and extra money that we would have spent in Indonesia, had we been able to stay longer.

Look, the government of Indonesia needs extra income? Fine, charge for visa-on-arrival: One month, pay $25, as at present? Fine, no problemo. Six weeks, pay $50? Fine. Two months, pay $100? Well, okay.

Hey, that's the way to get the income. Make it easy for people to come and make it easy for people to pay, no problemo! Forget this embassy "visa two pictures, wait at least three working days to get it" business.

One other point: I have only one complaint about the corruption that Indonesians and others say is endemic in Indonesia, as I was not affected by it, except in one situation, that is. Every single collector of the airport-user fee (five of them, with the sole exception of the one in Semarang) tried to hoodwink us into paying more than the set fee by: 1) Taking a large bill and then acting as if our transaction was finished; or 2) Giving back too little change for a large bill and only remedying that when the "mistake" was pointed out; or 3) Not having a sign out on how much the fee was and trying to charge a larger fee.

PETER BURGESS Prachuab Khirikhan Thailand