People go to E. Timor without passports

People go to E. Timor without passports

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara: Three years since East Nusa
Tenggara province saw a new country appear on its doorstep in the
form of East Timor, people on both sides have yet to get used to
carrying passports when they cross the border, an Indonesian
immigration official complained on Tuesday.

Local people and even government officials from both countries
frequently cross the border without carrying passports, said Iwan
Siwy, who heads the immigration office in the provincial capital
Atambua.

"The rule is that anybody who crosses over the border must
produce a travel document as the two countries are sovereign
states," Iwan said.

His complaint was primarily directed against officials, whom
he accused of setting a bad example for the locals.

"It may seem trivial if, for example, a group of officials
enters East Timor with the latter's knowledge or even at its
invitation to attend a meeting, but immigration regulations
cannot be taken lightly," Iwan asserted.

He said locals would never see the point of possessing a
passport if immigration regulations were not upheld.

"The regulations look stiff but slowly people will get used to
them, and all levels of society will come to understand the
purpose of travel documents when crossing national borders," he
said. -- Antara