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Immigration office awaits Jokowi's approval to track foreigners using QR codes
The Immigration Directorate General is waiting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s approval to launch a surveillance system it is developing to track foreigners in Indonesia.
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Two expatriate tourists cross Jl. Thamrin in front of the Bank Indonesia building in Jakarta on July 6, 2009. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
The Immigration Directorate General is waiting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s approval to launch a surveillance system it is developing to track foreigners in Indonesia.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry’s immigration director general, Jhoni Ginting, said in a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense on Tuesday that the system was being developed in part to respond to cases of foreign fugitives escaping to Indonesia.
"We are developing a QR code system so we can track foreigners. We’re waiting for the President to sign the regulation," Jhoni said.
Read also: American wanted by FBI entered Indonesia before Interpol's red notice: Minister
The QR code will later be attached to foreigners' passports or visas and detect their movement by tracking their transactions in public facilities, such as hotels and restaurants, and ticket purchases for public transportation.
The QR code system will be introduced to public service offices so that immigration authorities can monitor their movement.
Subdistrict offices will also install the program to monitor foreigners and coordinate with village heads, police chiefs, military district command chiefs and heads of neighborhood units (RTs) and community units (RWs).
The immigration office’s effort to establish close cooperation with representatives of different government institutions is in line with Jokowi’s Nawacita, a nine-point development program in which the government strives to enforce immigration laws more strictly to boost foreign direct investment.
To strengthen its supervisory functions, the immigration office has been coordinating with different ministries and institutions at the central government level, such as the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, the Home Ministry, the Attorney General’s Office and the Manpower Ministry.
