Foreigners to be targeted in residency raids

Foreigners to be targeted in residency raids

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of expatriates were shocked by the recent visit of
officials of the Jakarta administration to their apartments at
Taman Rasuna in Kuningan, South Jakarta. The officials carried
forms that they were required to be filled out.

"We were shocked because they came to our apartments in the
evening without prior information. They told us to just fill out
the forms. They said they wanted to reregister all expatriates in
the city," James Davis, one of the foreign tenants, said on
Monday.

"I did not know there was a new regulation about expatriates
in the city because I have been living in the apartment for two
years without any problems," he said, recalling his experience
two months ago.

Davis was only one of around 36,000 foreigners in Jakarta, who
were surprised by the administration's new policy on foreigners.
Only recently they found out that it was the policy of the
Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency.

Agency head Sylviana Murni explained that the registration of
expatriates by the agency was part of the implementation of the
newly enacted Bylaw No. 4/2004 on Population and Civil
Registration, which stipulates a number of new obligations for
foreigners.

"Under the new bylaw, all foreigners are required to register
themselves with the agency. The agency will issue a document for
each foreigner, depending on his or her status -- temporary
visitor, temporary resident or permanent resident," she told the
press after the dissemination of the bylaw on Monday.

She said a foreigner with a visitors permit or visa would
receive a letter explaining that he or she had reported his or
her presence in Jakarta. A foreigner with an temporary stay
permit would get a foreigner or visitors identity card (KIP) and
a certificate listing family members (SKSKP). And a foreigner
with a permanent stay permit will receive an identity card for
foreigners (KTP WNA) and card listing family members (KK).

Sylviana said her office would issue a guideline for the
implementation of the bylaw next week. The guideline would be
used by relevant officials to carry out their tasks, including
conducting raids against those who violated the bylaw.

With the implementation of the bylaw, she said, foreigners
would be the targets of operasi yustisi (raids against those who
live in the capital without ID cards).

In the past, such a raid was only held for local migrant
workers, who usually move to the city after the Idul Fitri
holidays to work as laborers or in the informal sector. The raids
are usually conducted at companies and boarding houses where
migrant workers live.

"We will also conduct operasi yustisi at hotels, apartments,
as well as boarding and rented houses," she said, adding that
those who violated the bylaw could be sentenced to a maximum of
three months in prison or pay a Rp 5 million (US$ 549.45) fine.

Sylviana did not clearly say when the raid would take place
but stressed that it would be after her office finished drafting
the guideline.

Jufri, a staff member at the agency, said there were thousands
of foreigners in the city, who had violated their stay permits.
He added that many foreigners used tourist visas to work in
various sectors.

"Many of them are working at karaoke clubs, discotheques or
even as prostitutes," he said.