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View all search resultsBatam Immigration admits extortion, officer sent to Nusakambangan
The Riau Islands regional office of the Immigration Directorate General has acknowledged there are indications of illegal fees being levied by officers and brokers and alleged extortion of foreign tourists at the Batam Center ferry terminal.
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Head of Riau Islands regional office of the Immigration Directorate General, Ujo Sujoto (center), speaks, while flanked by Batam Immigration Office head Hajar Aswad (right) and an official from the Internal Compliance Directorate, Washington Napitupulu, during a press conference at Batu Ampar Immigration checkpoint in Batam, Riau Islands, on March 29, 2026. (JP/Fadli)
T
he Riau Islands regional office of the Immigration Directorate General has acknowledged there are indications of extortion of foreign tourists at the Batam Center ferry terminal.
Regional office head Ujo Sujoto referred to a report by Singaporean media platform mothership.sg on March 25 about the experiences of two separate groups of tourists arriving in Batam on March 13 and 14.
“We had difficulties because the report only identified the [alleged victims] by the initials AC and NAY,” he told a media briefing at Batu Ampar immigration checkpoint on Sunday.
“We sent a direct message to the media requesting the victims’ data but they have yet to reply.”
However, following examination of immigration internal applications and CCTV records at the port, officers managed to identify NAY, a Myanmar passport holder and Singaporean permanent resident. CCTV video showed that NAY and his parents had problems during inspection because they did not have return tickets.
“In accordance with procedure, foreigners must possess return tickets. This is to prevent them from overstaying or being rejected when attempting to return to Singapore,” Ujo said.
“At that time, we were busy inspecting other foreigners so NAY and his parents had to wait up to two hours in the supervisor’s room.”
