Most expatriates staying put despite Bali bombing

A'an Suryana The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Three weeks after the deadly Bali bombing, the number of expatriates working in Indonesia was only down slightly, a senior official at the Ministry of Manpower said Friday.

Thousands of foreigners did leave in the immediate aftermath of the Bali bombs and the resulting travel warnings, but those were mostly tourists or short term travelers and not resident expatriates because they had commitments here, said Djoko Sidik Pramono.

"Expatriates cannot just drop everything and leave Indonesia immediately like the tourists, as most of them are subject to working contracts," Djoko, secretary general of the ministry, told The Jakarta Post at his office.

As of the end of September, there were 2,246 foreign workers in the country.

The ministry has yet to calculate the number for October, but Djoko said the ministry estimated the number had only slightly decreased based on the expatriate tax received by the government this month.

Every expatriate is required to pay US$100 per month in the so-called Funds for Skill and Expertise Development (DPKK) to the government. The DPKK fee averages $2.7 million a month.

According to Djoko, after the bomb blasts, the DPKK revenue dropped three percent.

"This indicates only a few dozen expatriates had fled Indonesia following the bomb blast," said Djoko.

However, quoting from data at the immigration office, Djoko said in one week after the blast, some 144,000 foreign short-time travelers had left the country from four major airports in the country: Denpasar, Makassar, Medan and Jakarta.

During the period, some 86,000 foreign visitors arrived, said Djoko.

Djoko believed many expatriates did not feel secure working in the country following the Bali incident and the travel warnings.

The countries that have issued the warnings include Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.

However, Djoko called on foreigners, especially expatriates, to stay calm, as the Indonesian government had stepped up efforts to improve security and boost its fight against terrorism by issuing antiterrorism regulations and other things.