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Immigration pushes for database sharing in terrorism prevention
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On guard – An immigration officer collects data from foreigners arrested for allegedly violating immigration procedures during a recent operation in Jakarta. (Tempo/-)
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trengthening of Indonesia's border protection and security through database sharing among state agencies should be included in anti-terror laws as the first portal to protect the country from terrorism, an immigration official said.
Indonesia needs an integrated system of border protection, the Law and Human Rights Ministry director general for immigration, Ronny Sompie, said, explaining that different agencies still handle the current system. The Immigration Office, for instance, handles the movement of people while the Customs and Excise Office handles the movement of goods, he added.
Ronny said database sharing across agencies, such as immigration, customs and excise, and quarantine offices, as well as intelligence and anti-terrorism bodies, could strengthen preventive measures such as the early detection of people who many engage in acts of terrorism within Indonesian territory.
"If records are shared by immigration and customs and excise, when we get information from anti-terror or intelligence bodies, it will be easier for [immigration] to take early action before we hand a case over to competent investigators," Rony said.
The Immigration Office, he further said, could deny suspicious foreigners entry even though they may not yet have been placed on a blacklist because immigration has authority to prevent dangerous people from entering the country.
House of Representatives (DPR) lawmakers should consider the inclusion of articles required to grant such authority to agencies assigned to monitor security across all border areas, including airports, seaports, and security posts in lands, he asserted, referring to the 2003 Terrorism draft law revision currently being deliberated. (ebf)
