Illegal fees at Soekarno-Hatta

Illegal fees at Soekarno-Hatta

From Kompas

On Oct. 18, my Thai guests arrived at Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport, and were only permitted to leave the
immigration checkpoint after they had each paid US$10 to the
immigration officers in charge, who had detained their passage
for no clear reason.

Earlier, a Singaporean guest also experienced the same thing
at the same airport, even though nationals of Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries are exempt from
visa-on-arrival fees.

If every single foreign guest pays an illegal fee of $10,
imagine how much money immigration officers at Soekarno-Hatta --
the country's main port of entry -- can collect in a month.

More importantly, however, the collection of these illegal
fees will only tarnish Indonesia's reputation and bring shame to
our citizens.

It is time that appropriate action was taken to ensure that
our immigration officers perform their duties professionally.

H. SUBUR
Jakarta