TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The recent capture of five Chinese workers in Halim Perdanakusuma airport sparked concerns about the presence of illegal foreign workers in Indonesia. The five men were detained for not carrying proper documents, although they were released after the company that hires them showed immigration documents.
Asril Hamzah Tanjung, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Defense and Foreign Affairs Commission, said the case is a reminder to the Immigration Department to improve their monitoring and supervising functions.
"But we need everyone's assistance; the [local] police, and the Interpol," he said yesterday.
The Defense Commission's deputy Tubagus Hasanuddin said that Immigration is weak in overseeing foreign nationals. He fears Indonesia will be flooded by foreigners, especially China, now that the ASEAN Economic Community has been implemented earlier this year.
The Commission, said Tubagus, will summon the Foreign Affairs Minister in May to evaluate the visa-free policy for a number of countries, especially China. He said that there are many Chinese who continue to stay in Indonesia after their tourist visa expired. "In North Sumatra there are about 2,000-3,000 people," he said.
Tubagus said that the no-visa policy is ineffective when given to a country with high population. They can come to Indonesia to seek work or selling narcotics, he said.
"We can also lose Rp3 trillion revenues from the visa charge," he said.
This year, the Directorate General of Immigration at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry repatriated 196 Chinese citizens for abusing their residence permits and visas.
The DG's secretary, Ida Bagus Adnyana, said they will tighten supervision against foreigners for security reasons. "We must prevent the presence of foreigners from reducing Indonesians' opportunity to compete in the economic field," he said in Yogyakarta Thursday, April 28.
Mudhofir Khamid, president of the Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSBSI), says there are still many illegal workers who are not registered. He estimated there are now some 700 unregistered foreign workers, which is about one percent of the total number of foreign workers.
"Many are from China because the government is cooperating with them," he said yesterday.
HUSSEIN ABRI | ALI HIDAYAT | YOHANES PASKALIS | MUH. SYAIFULLAH | ABDUL MANAN
