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.