Indonesia Outlines Three Immigration Pillars for Border Security at ASEAN Forum

The Indonesian government has outlined three strategic national pillars for immigration at the 29th ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM) forum in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko stated that the strategy focuses on strengthening border checks, enhancing surveillance of foreign nationals, and integrating digital services. ‘Strengthening border checks, surveillance of foreign nationals, and digital service integration are the three pillars supporting Indonesia’s immigration system,’ Hendarsam said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. He noted that these pillars are supported by cross-agency collaboration, enabling Indonesian Immigration to detect immigration violations and transnational crimes early, ‘whether before, during, or after the inspection process.’ In the border security sector, the Directorate General of Immigration is optimising risk-based analysis through the Passengers Analysis Unit at immigration checkpoints and the centralised Immigration Traffic Monitoring Centre. He cited the effectiveness of the Foreigner Reporting Application, which is integrated with the Indonesian National Police, contributing to the arrest of 210 foreign nationals involved in an online investment fraud case in Batam in early May 2026. ‘This application is an effort to prevent the misuse of residence permits,’ he said. The DGICM forum took place over three days from 23 to 25 June 2026. The Director General also attended a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, where he proposed that the issuance procedure for Working Holiday Visas for Indonesian citizens be managed proportionally by the Australian government. ‘Our proposal is a Ballot System that is more suitable to ensure fairness, transparency, and efficiency in managing the high volume of registrants from Indonesia,’ Hendarsam stated. During the forum, Indonesia was appointed as the Voluntary Lead Shepherd for the issue of People Smuggling in the implementation of the DGICM Plan of Action. Other regional cooperation areas are led by Cambodia (Intelligence Data Sharing Protocol), Malaysia (Foreign Terrorist Fighters Movement), Singapore (Fraudulent Travel Documents), and Brunei Darussalam (Consular Matters). Hendarsam concluded that transnational crime challenges require integrated solutions. ‘Through Indonesia’s mandate as Lead Shepherd for handling people smuggling, we encourage a real commitment from all ASEAN members to strengthen intelligence information exchange and technology alignment for a safer and more resilient region.’