Migrant problem a headache for Batam authorities

Migrant problem a headache for Batam authorities

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau

If there is anything that causes headaches for the authorities
of Batam Island, it is the uncontrollable influx of migrant
workers from Java and Sumatra, who have not only made the island
well-known for its cheap labor but also for squatters.

Chairman of the Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA)
Ismeth Abdullah said that controlling the influx of migrants was
the agency's "main target".

"It is a dilemma for us because the more we advertise about
Batam, the more migrants come looking for work," he told foreign
reporters on a visit here.

Bantam's population growth of between 13 percent and 14
percent per annum is well above the national average of 1.35
percent a year, mostly due to the influx of migrants drawn by the
promise of work.

Batam's population reached 462,528 at the end of 2000 and is
estimated to surpass 600,000 this year, Ismeth said.

Population peaked between 1998 and 1999 when the crunch of the
economic crisis caused thousands of workers across the country to
lose their jobs.

"They came to Batam in hopes of finding jobs here, because our
industries were mostly unaffected by the crisis," Ismeth said.

In 1999, Batam's population jumped 35 percent to 358,700
inhabitants from 266,428 the previous year.

The growth of businesses and the development of low cost
housing in Batam are lagging behind the high growth. This has
resulted in the emergence of unemployed squatters.

To control the influx of migrants, the Batam municipality
passed a decree in March this year to establish requirements and
procedures for those wishing to enter Batam. The decree took
effect in August.

"We're not closing the island, but merely controlling it for
the benefit of the people," Ismeth said, adding that the Chinese
government had done the same with Shenzhen, which is also a
special economic zone.

The administration, along with BIDA, will establish
checkpoints at the main ports of entry on Batam to control the
entry of migrants, he said, explaining that a special pass would
be given to frequent visitors for easier access.

Visitors to the island are interviewed one by one and those
without a clear reason for entry, whether for business or
tourism, would be sent back, Ismeth said, adding that he usually
turns away more than 100 people in a day.

"By having a program to reduce the influx of people to Batam,
we can gradually manage to provide low-cost housing for those in
Batam," he said.

Ismeth said developers were given special incentives for
developing low-cost housing in Batam.

"We have allocated land and subsidized it so developers can
sell it at a lower price to the public," he said.

Land for about 15,000 low-cost homes will be ready for
development this year, while some 20 low-cost apartments are
expected to be ready for occupancy, Ismeth said.

"So we are starting to deal with this matter year by year," he
said.