Every citizen can easily go abroad

Every citizen can easily go abroad

JAKARTA (JP): An official from the Ministry of Justice said
yesterday that Indonesian citizens who hold regular (green)
passports are free to go wherever they like.

"Indonesian citizens with ordinary passports can go to every
country if the embassy of the country he intends to enter permits
him to pay a visit and he is not included on the list of people
banned to leave Indonesia." Roni Sikap Sinuraya, Director General
of Immigration, the Ministry of Justice told the Jakarta Post and
the Kompas daily.

He said if an Indonesian is in London and wants to go to Saudi
Arabia as a haj pilgrim, he can go to the Saudi Embassy in
Britain for a visa. If the embassy gives him the visa, he can go
to Mecca.

The official made the comments following questions raised
recently over the 4,000 Indonesians going to Mecca from Indonesia
and 10,000 others from Singapore with regular passports and not
the special haj passport as commonly required.

Roni denied that 4,000 Indonesians are going to Mecca with
regular passports and wanted to know where the number comes from.

"I have checked with the Saudi Embassy here which confirmed
that here are only 32 Indonesians using the green passport,"
Roni said.

"As long as the number of haj pilgrims from Indonesia does not
exceed our quota-- 160,000 persons-- the Saudi Kingdom permits us
to send them all." he said.

He said even if it was true that 4,000 Indonesians using the
regular passport, the Directorate General of Immigration can not
prevent them from a religious service.

Roni said Indonesians could make the haj pilgrimage either
with the Green passport or the haj passport.

Roni said the Green passport is for those who want to go to
other countries after fulfilling their haj pilgrimage, while the
haj passport is for those who only go to Saudi Arabia for the
service and immediately return back to Indonesia at pilgrimage's
end.

The official said many Indonesians prefer going to Mecca
through Singapore since it is cheaper than through Indonesia.(02)