Officials fear rise in abuse of Kitas rules

Sat, 09/06/2008 11:26 AM  |  Bali

The large number of expatriates living in Bali with temporary stay permits (Kitas) could cause an increase in the number of permit violations, head of Ngurah Rai Airport's immigration office Jusuf Hadi has said.

"The number of expatriates with Kitas is very high -- in my opinion, too high," Jusuf said Wednesday.

In the airport immigration office's jurisdiction alone -- which covers Kuta, South Kuta and North Kuta -- there are at least 3,000 foreigners a year holding Kitas, he cited as an example.

"This doesn't include those in other areas of Bali," Jusuf said.

The three districts constituted the areas most favored by foreigners due to their abundant tourist facilities, including hotels and villas, where most foreigners work, he added.

A large number of Kitas holders in Bali has usually led to violations, especially by those running illegal private businesses on the side, he said.

"This has raised the number of illegal businesses operated by foreigners. As they are illegal, they don't pay taxes and this causes the state to suffer huge losses," Jusuf added.

Despite this, the immigration office cannot do much to control the problem because it only issues permits based on recommendations from related institutions, such as the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Education Ministry, he said.

While easing processing of resident permits could boost development in certain areas, it might also widen the economic gap in Bali, Jusuf explained, adding foreigners are usually paid much higher wages than local employees.

"Let alone if they also run illegal businesses on the side," he said.

His office has frequently enforced supervision of the permits, but due to its limited authority could not settle many cases, he added. A further complication exists with respect to supervising residential stays.

"Many businesses owned by foreigners are run in the name of locals, who fully support them as they provide benefits," Jusuf said.

Awareness among all parties should be improved to supervise foreign residents who misuse their residential permits, he added, with supervision to be conducted by related institutions.

The key to solving the problem, Jusuf said, is joint supervision by the local community. -- JP/Ni Komang Erviani

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