Immigration rules revised for Chinese

Immigration rules revised for Chinese

JAKARTA (JP): The government has eased immigration regulations
for Chinese travelers, who during the Soeharto regime faced
discriminatory and complicated procedures.

"In general, the government has applied the same immigration
regulations to Chinese nationals as those from other countries,"
immigration director general M. Mudakir announced following a
ceremony to observe the office's 51st anniversary on Friday.

Mudakir said that since last Dec. 12, Chinese citizens would
be allowed to enter Indonesia through any of the 114 immigration
checkpoints across the country.

The government has also eased the complicated visa application
procedures.

In the past, visa application for Chinese had to be approved
by certain agents, such as the background check department and an
interrelated department.

Previously, Chinese could only enter the country through five
airports and five seaports: Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta,
Polonia Airport in Medan, Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Djuanda
Airport in Surabaya and Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, or Tanjung
Priok Port in Jakarta, Belawan Port in Medan, Tanjung Perak Port
in Surabaya, Sekupang Port in Batam and Banda Bentan Telani Port
in Bintan.

Asked about the possibility of providing free-visa facilities
for Chinese, Mudakir said they would have to apply for visas and
follow the same procedures like many other foreigners.

The New Order government discriminated against the Chinese as
diplomatic ties between the two countries were frozen shortly
after the failed 1965 coup, which was blamed on the Indonesian
Communist Party. The relations resumed in 1990, but restrictions
on Chinese travelers continued. President Abdurrahman Wahid
visited China at the end of 1999, when he promised to remove the
barriers for visa applicants.

While the discriminative immigration regulation has been
repealed, Mudakir said that immigration authorities would improve
its controls over and supervision of Chinese travelers.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said the new government policy was a new challenge for
the immigration directorate.

"The controls of and supervision over foreigners must be
continuously improved, not only upon their entrance into the
country, but also on all their activities during their presence
here," Yusril said while addressing immigration officials at the
anniversary ceremony.

Yusril warned that Indonesia was not a country that accepted
immigrants, and therefore only foreigners who brought advantages
and were not a threat to the country were welcome to stay here.
(01)