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)