TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a mobile application named "Safe Travel" for Indonesians traveling abroad either on temporary or permanent basis.
"The application is expected to help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs understand the distribution of Indonesians and their locations, so that protection and services can be offered immediately," Director of Protection and Legal Aid for Indonesians at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lalu Muhammad Iqbal stated on Wednesday.
According to Iqbal, the application, themed "Safe and Fun," has several features that are beneficial to Indonesians traveling abroad.
He mentioned that app users can obtain a variety of information on the destination country, services provided by the nearest Indonesian representative offices, online recording, and other useful menus.
The users of the Safe Travel app can also receive updated information on destination countries during their trip and tips on safe travel. The application also has a panic button for emergency situations.
"Users can also share interesting stories on social media. The emergency button can connect the users directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hotline or the Indonesian representative offices, transmit location coordinates, and send photos or videos of the locations," Iqbal explained.
By signing up for this application before embarking on a trip, a users data is stored directly on the server. Thus, in case a person misplaces his or her passport in transit, the Indonesian governments representative will help issue a temporary travel document, he added.
Iqbal noted that it took a years time to ready the Safe Travel application in 2016.
The concept of the application was drawn up by seeking inputs from various stakeholders, including travel agents for Hajj/Umrah, backpackers community, the association of travel insurance providers, Indonesian students associations abroad, information technology experts, the Indonesian Diaspora, migrant workers advocacy groups, and other concerned parties.
"The application is expected to accommodate various segments in order to provide protection and services to Indonesian citizens abroad. In the near future, this application will be connected with the database of citizens living abroad and in e-shelters," Iqbal said.
The 1.0 version can be downloaded for free directly from Google Play or Play Store.
To enrich the features of the Safe Travel app, some forms of cooperation on overseas travel have been outlined for 2017 between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several service providers.
ANTARA
