Immigration law amended to benefit expatriates

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia will amend its immigration laws so as to ease foreigners' permit procedures and to better respect human rights, officials said on Wednesday.

The draft bill, which is yet to be submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation, would provide a visa-free facility to foreigners from certain countries to be designated under a presidential decree on a reciprocal and mutually beneficial basis.

The amendment to Law No. 9/1992 on Immigration would make the procurement of Indonesian entry permits easier for foreigners from countries offering the same privileges to Indonesians.

Director of immigration supervision and control at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Indra, said that several neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, have offered a visa-free facility for a one-month visit.

"To meet international standards and customs, we will start this policy," he said at a one-day seminar held to promote the government's plan to amend the immigration law.

When the policy comes into effect, foreigners will no longer be obliged to report on a regular basis to institutions other than the immigration office.

The privilege will also be extended to the holders of limited and permanent stay permits who have a re-entry permit.

Indonesia has provided visa-free entry to 48 countries in America and Europe in a bid to attract tourists from those regions. However, not all of the countries offer similar facilities to Indonesians.

The amendment would also give the authorities greater powers in handling cases of people smuggling and human trafficking, including instances where illegal migrants were stranded in Indonesia en route to their country of destination.

Indra said the ministry had completed the draft of a presidential decree to establish a task force to handle illegal migrant issues and also planned to build five quarantine facilities to detain violators of the immigration law.

The amendment is also aimed at promoting universal human rights principles and meeting international standards on the free flow of people in the upcoming free trade area.

Foreigners who committed crimes would be immediately deported and those who violated immigration regulations would be subject to stiffer penalties.

Indra explained that the amended law would ensure that Indonesians had the right to re-enter the country. This would mean that the government would no longer have the right to revoke a citizen's passport.

Under the bill, the government would no longer require haj pilgrims to carry special passports because such a policy was not recognized by international rules. The pilgrims would be provided with a regular passport, which is valid for five years.

"The government doesn't have the right to forbid its citizens to travel overseas after the pilgrimage to Mecca. Moreover, this policy may lessen the expense for those who hold ordinary passports and want to go on the haj pilgrimage."

For infobox.

Key points in the amendment draft bill

* maximum lifetime ban on aliens who have committed crimes * no haj passports * no entrance ban for Indonesians * finance minister slaps travel ban on economic criminals * the police have authority to impose travel ban * travel ban term reduced from one year to six months