Flexibility asked on U.S. security policy

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia expressed hope on Tuesday that the Unites States would exercise flexibility in implementing its new policy to fingerprint and photograph foreign visitors.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the immigration policy was "quite understandable considering the level of threat against U.S. interests.

"The new policy sounds excessive, but we'll see how it is applied. Hopefully its implementation will not be excessive," Hassan announced.

"They (the U.S.) has the prerogative to decide on the policy and take into account the danger they are facing."

Hassan was commenting on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new policy requiring foreign arrivals to submit to digital photographs and inkless finger scans. The policy became effective as of Monday and will affect an estimate 24 million foreigners.

The homeland department oversees implementation of new security controls.

Reuters reported on Monday that 115 airports and 14 cruise ship ports across the U.S. began to implement the program, which is intended to prevent potential terrorists from slipping into the country by plane or ship.

Tourists and business travelers on short visits from 27 mostly European nations are exempt from the new measures, as are Canadians, who fall under special immigration rules.

The new policy coincides with a heightened alert across the country after intelligence warnings of possible terrorist attacks.

The policy has been criticized as being discriminatory, with detractors saying that terrorists could also come from European nations.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, the U.S. introduced several security policies that applied to African and Asian countries, including Indonesia.

One of the policies issued in 2002 required male foreigners from selected countries to register with the immigration office.

Indonesia labeled the policy discriminatory and appealed to the U.S. not to detain Indonesian citizens who failed to register.

Washington was fairly lenient with Indonesian citizens and none were deported because of the security policy, which has since been canceled.

"We criticized that policy, but in the implementation they were quite flexible. That's why we should wait to see how this new policy is applied," Hassan said.