Saudis offer reprieve for Indonesian overstayers

Saudis offer reprieve for Indonesian overstayers

JAKARTA (JP): The government announced yesterday that
Indonesians who have overstayed their visas in Saudi Arabia will
be allowed to leave the country and will not face punishment.

The Saudi Arabian authorities are allowing foreigners, who are
in violation of their stay permits either by overstaying or by
taking up employment illegally, to leave the country before they
begin to enforce a stricter regulation with stiffer penalties.

Director General of Immigration Roni Sikap Sinuraya, who made
the announcement in Jakarta yesterday, did not say how long the
offer stands.

He told a press conference at his office that he did not know
what punishment would be exacted by Riyadh for those who violate
its immigration rules in the future, but did not rule out the
possibility of caning.

Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians are now working in Saudi
Arabia. While their departure was orderly, some of them have
since changed employers in violation of their contracts, while
others have remained there although their visas have expired.
Some have even discarded their travel documents to avoid
detection.

Sinuraya said there are now 507 Indonesians, most of them
women, who are stranded in Saudi Arabia because they no longer
have their travel documents and therefore cannot return to
Indonesia. The immigration office plans to issue them new travel
documents.

In his year-end press conference, Sinuraya also disclosed that
his office issued 89,729 exit permits for Indonesian workers
between January and September, most of them were bound for Saudi
Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

Up to Dec. 26 the immigration office had issued 67,815 visas
altogether, he said.

He also pointed out that four million foreigners have entered
Indonesia taking advantage of the visa-free facility for short
stays.

The immigration office also has on its list, 666 names of
Indonesians who are barred from leaving the country. Of these, 17
were barred at the request of the justice minister, 60 at the
request of the finance minister and 589 at the request of the
attorney general.

Immigration also has a list of 1,588 foreigners who are barred
from entering Indonesia. Of these, 1,192 of the bans were
requested by the justice minister, 200 by the attorney general
and 229 by the Armed Forces chief. (imn)