No major changes in procedure to enter Indonesia

No major changes in procedure to enter Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There would be no major changes to Indonesian entry procedures
following the devastating Bali bomb attacks last Saturday,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday.

However, the minister said the government had considered
tightening screening foreigners entering the country as Indonesia
was one of the most open countries in the world.

"We are considering tightening screening for visa
applications, but the procedure will not be that complicated,"
Hassan said after a Cabinet meeting at the State Palace.

He said the immigration measures were among the topics
discussed during Monday's Cabinet meeting following the attacks.

Hassan said the government had decided to tighten security at
airports and to increase surveillance on the flow of goods into
the country.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked for the public's understanding if
the immigration process at entry points took longer than usual
due to the minor changes.

Hassan said Indonesia would not follow the lead taken by the
United States after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New
York and Washington, which required three agencies to screen all
visa applicants.

"The planned screening would not be that drastic, and we will
discuss it further," the minister told media after the Cabinet
meeting.

Indonesia is on high alert after the bombings, especially
after authorities claimed there had been no preliminary
indication of the bombings.

Security personnel had been put on alert across the country
after the bombings, which claimed more than 180 innocent lives
and injured hundreds of others.

Jakarta, even before the carnage, was reconsidering visa upon
arrival facilities provided to citizens of 48 countries entering
Indonesia, saying it posed a threat to internal security.

The regulations were introduced in the early 1990s to attract
foreign tourists.