RI to give visa-free facility, but only on reciprocal basis

RI to give visa-free facility, but only on reciprocal basis

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Indonesia will amend its immigration laws so as to ease
foreigners' permit procedures and to better respect human rights,
officials said on Wednesday.

The draft bill, which is yet to be submitted to the House of
Representatives for deliberation, would provide a visa-free
facility to foreigners from certain countries to be designated
under a presidential decree on a reciprocal and mutually
beneficial basis.

The amendment to Law No. 9/1992 on Immigration would make the
procurement of Indonesian entry permits easier for foreigners
from countries offering the same privileges to Indonesians.

Director of immigration supervision and control at the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Indra, said that
several neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore,
have offered a visa-free facility for a one-month visit.

"To meet international standards and customs, we will start
this policy," he said at a one-day seminar held to promote the
government's plan to amend the immigration law.

When the policy comes into effect, foreigners will no longer
be obliged to report on a regular basis to institutions other
than the immigration office.

The privilege will also be extended to the holders of limited
and permanent stay permits who have a re-entry permit.

Indonesia has provided visa-free entry to 48 countries in
America and Europe in a bid to attract tourists from those
regions. However, not all of the countries offer similar
facilities to Indonesians.

The amendment would also give the authorities greater powers
in handling cases of people smuggling and human trafficking,
including instances where illegal migrants were stranded in
Indonesia en route to their country of destination.

Indra said the ministry had completed the draft of a
presidential decree to establish a task force to handle illegal
migrant issues and also planned to build five quarantine
facilities to detain violators of the immigration law.

The amendment is also aimed at promoting universal human
rights principles and meeting international standards on the free
flow of people in the upcoming free trade area.

Foreigners who committed crimes would be immediately deported
and those who violated immigration regulations would be subject
to stiffer penalties.

Indra explained that the amended law would ensure that
Indonesians had the right to re-enter the country. This would
mean that the government would no longer have the right to revoke
a citizen's passport.

Under the bill, the government would no longer require haj
pilgrims to carry special passports because such a policy was not
recognized by international rules. The pilgrims would be provided
with a regular passport, which is valid for five years.

"The government doesn't have the right to forbid its citizens
to travel overseas after the pilgrimage to Mecca. Moreover, this
policy may lessen the expense for those who hold ordinary
passports and want to go on the haj pilgrimage."

For infobox.

Key points in the amendment draft bill

* maximum lifetime ban on aliens who have committed crimes
* no haj passports
* no entrance ban for Indonesians
* finance minister slaps travel ban on economic criminals
* the police have authority to impose travel ban
* travel ban term reduced from one year to six months