Passport check

On Nov. 1 around midnight on Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, three British subjects were riding in a taxi heading for Cafe B in the area. The vehicle was stopped in front of Bank Exim by a police officer wearing a military police badge.

The officer, with badge number 30157 and fluent in English, asked the foreigners to produce their passports. None of them was carrying one. The officer used this as an excuse to menace them with imprisonment.

The three men explained that they did not know that in Indonesia, every foreigner had to carry his passport with him. One of them showed his driving license, but to no avail. A suggestion to fetch their passports from the hotel was not responded to. The officer continued to intimidate them. Finally, he offered his "help" for the only settlement he would accept: They had to pay Rp 100,000 each.

Such treatment brings shame to us Indonesians. The three Britons were determined to report their case to the British embassy and to write of their experience to British newspapers. The officer has not only marred tourism promotion, now in full swing, but has also increased the economic cost when we do business with foreigners. Just think: Who will bear the loss in the end?

Name and address

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