RI immigration policy

RI immigration policy

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has openly criticized the new
U.S. immigration policy requiring Indonesian males to register
with immigration authorities in that country. He called the
policy discriminatory and unacceptable. However, as far as I am
concerned Indonesia's immigration policy is worse.

In May 2002 I traveled eight times to the Embassy in The Hague
to get a visa for my third trip to Indonesia. I had an invitation
letter and I handed over all the required documents. I was
required to register with the Immigration Office in Indonesia
before Sept. 6, 2002 (I arrived in Indonesia on June 16).

On Aug. 27 I was in the immigration office to lengthen my
visa. The highest ranked officer told me that I was illegal in
the country and had to pay more than Rp 2,500,000. I was totally
surprised and embarrassed.

I was training 25 school managers in Jakarta in policy
planning, marketing and management skills for free and the
embassy (in The Hague) provides first the wrong information and
then the government takes my money. In any case I had to pay the
money or leave the country.

After Aug. 27 I had to return to the Immigration Office
several times. I have stamps in my passport on Aug. 28, Sept. 6,
Sept. 10, Oct. 10, Oct. 12 and Oct. 15. And sometimes I had to
come back two or three times for one stamp. And every time I had
to wait hours and hours.

Every time I had to fill in the same data, I had to make
dozens of copies for myself and others, every time I needed new
sponsor letters and copies of tickets, passport photos, identity
cards and so on. In October the immigration office again required
new passport photos and fingerprints. And I had to go not only to
the immigration office in Jatinegara several times, but to the
immigration office in Central Jakarta too.

My assistant also gets more and more confused about the
intentions of a disordered organization. And every time I had to
pay money. This four months of bureaucracy cost me more than Rp 6
million, more than 70 hours of hard work and a full file.

I did not give up. On Oct. 20 I returned to the Netherlands
and I wrote a letter to the ambassador. He did not provide me
with a visa. I have now a Short Visit Pass.

On Jan. 26 thousands of Indonesian students visited the
Holland Education Fair 2003 in Jakarta, organized by The
Netherlands Education Center. All our universities and common
families are willing to do their utmost to help the young people
here. Can the government not accept that there are Dutch citizens
like me in this country?

HARRY RENDERS, Jakarta