Immigration office explains

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 08/08/2007 12:51 PM  |  Opinion

We would like to respond to the letter from Ian in Pekanbaru Riau titled Immigration officer bargains over fee, printed in The Jakarta Post on July 30.

The Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office would like to thank you for your information, which is very valuable to improving our services.

There are a number of explanations about our services in connection with the case affecting your colleague.

First, foreigners with temporary stay permits (KITAS) who want to leave Indonesia have to apply for a re-entry permit, except those who don't want to return to Indonesia or those who want to apply for a new visa.

Second, those who have a KITAS and a re-entry permit should pay fiscal, whose payment is under control of the fiscal office at the Finance Ministry.

Third, the immigration office does not have the right to check or verify the fiscal payment of passengers. The task of the immigration officer is just to check or verify the validity or the originality of passengers' documents before they leave Indonesian territory.

We will investigate our officers, who were involved in such irregularities and punish any of them if they are found guilty.

To carry out our investigation of the case, we need several pieces of information from you, including the name of your colleague, the name of the officers involved, the time of the incident, your address and your telephone number.

You may call me on 021-5507187 or 0813-10450466.

We would like to thank for your criticism and cooperation.

DODY M. WIBOWO
Head
Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office
Jakarta

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.