Immigration Indonesia Reformation – President Wants to Shake Up Immigration
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has asked that t
he Immigration Department simplify and ease the process for obtaining visas-on-arrival (VoA) and Limited Stay Permits (Kitas), particularly for foreign investors.
As Beritasatu.com and Beritabali.com report, the President’s instructions come after receiving many complaints regarding immigration service. The President spoke while leading a meeting convened with top officials to discuss VoA and Kitas at the National Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 9 September 2022.
The President said that he had received so many complaints regarding immigration that he hoped a total transformation would now occur to ease and improve services from the government agency. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
President Joko Widodo commented: “What I have seen and conveyed to me has come from investors, tourists, people wanting to obtain a Kitas, or a resident permit. I feel that immigration continues to arrange and control the process. Until when? When will this end? This is difficult.”
For these reasons, President Widodo calls for a complete revamp of how immigration handles VoA and Kitas. He said the regulations must be simplified and serve tourists and investors coming to Indonesia.
“This has to change. The atmosphere of immigration should be one of service and facilitation. There needs to be a total change. If we want to attract investment and tourists, there needs to be a change,” said the President.
“This needs to be changed; it must be. What should be its aura is to facilitate and serve. It must change completely. If we want investment and tourists to come, it must be changed,” said Jokowi.
Joko Widodo also said the importance of granting VoA or a Kitas to potential investors must also be seen from the perspective of the investment’s size, job creation, contribution to the economy, and opportunity to enhance exports. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
The President cited examples from several countries that have facilitated visas and stay permits for foreigners with economic potential or special skills.
Joko Widodo said he wished to see immigration provide better service and abandon past practices. Easier visas and Kitas for investors and experts are sure to benefit the people of Indonesia.
Sounding an ominous warning to his cabinet and the hierarchy of the immigration department, the President told the cabinet to change the practices of the immigration department, replacing all officials starting from the director-general on down if needed. Adding that if such steps are not taken, nothing will change. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Fuel Prices Increased 03 September
The Indonesian Government has increased the price of subsidized fuel, including Pertalite, Diesel, and non-subsidized Pertamax, effective Saturday, 03 September 2022.
The fuel-price increase was announced by President Joko Widodo in a press conference on Saturday at the Presidential Palace.
As quoted by Kompas.com, President Joko Widodo said: “The Government has taken a decision in a difficult situation. This was the Government’s last choice to re-channel fuel subsidies that will result in the adjustment of fuel prices.”
The new fuel prices will take effect from 3:30 pm Jakarta time on Saturday, 03 September 2022.
The Presidential Press Conference included the attendance of The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, who announced Pertamina’s new price levels effective 03 September 2022:
PERTALITE Increased from Rp. 7,650 per liter to Rp. 10,000 per liter.
DIESEL (SOLAR): Increased from Rp. 5,150 per liter to Rp. 6,800 per liter
PERTAMAX: Increased from Rp. 12,500 per liter to Rp. 14,500 per liter.
While the new prices of Pertalite and Solar will be uniform for all areas of Indonesia, the price for Pertamax will vary across the country’s many regions. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Bali Prices
In Bali, Fuel Prices in Bali effective 03 September are as follows:
PERTALITE: Increased from Rp. 7,650 per liter to Rp. 10,000 per liter.
DIESEL (SOLAR): Increased from Rp. 5,150 per liter to Rp. 6,800 per liter
PERTAMAX: Increased from Rp. 12,500 per liter to Rp. 14,500 per liter.
- Pertamax Turbo Rp. 15,900 per liter
- Dexlite Rp. 17,100 per liter
- Pertalite Dex Rp. 17,400 per liter
High Cost of Air Travel
Although the number of flights operating between Jakarta and Singapore continues to expand, demand still exceeds supply, resulting in air ticket prices that are very expensive, sometimes four times the price levels that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quoted by Beritasatu.com, Suryopratomo, the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, speaking during an interview with Investor Daily, said: “In the past, the round-trip ticket price Singapore-Jakarta on a low-cost airline was only SIN $200 (around Rp. 2.1 million), now that price has increased to SIN $600-$800. In the past, this was very cheap, and now it is much more expensive.”
After the pandemic had abated, said the Ambassador, the number of passengers flying Jakarta-Singapore increased extraordinarily. “I think 100,000 can fly between Singapore and Jakarta in a single month,” said Suryapratomo. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
The Ambassador suggests supply of aircraft seats far exceed current demand, with demand held down by high prices.
The Ambassador continued, explaining that Singapore Airlines flights have now increased to five times and recently increased from four times each day. However, this number has yet to reach half of the flights between the two cities before the COVID-19 pandemic, when Singapore Airlines flew 13 flights each day. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia, flying during the post-pandemic period only once daily, has increased its flight schedule to 11 times each week, leaving four days on which there are two flights each day.
Turning his focus to Bali, the Ambassador said Garuda had recommenced flights from Singapore to Denpasar 3 or 4 times per week, while Singapore Airlines flies twice daily.
Elaborating further, the Ambassador said Batik Air flies twice daily. The lower number of flights reflects demand held back by high ticket prices in the post-pandemic era. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Foreign Arrivals to Bali on a Steady Rise
The total number of foreign visitors to Indonesia in July 2022 reached 476,970. According to the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, this is the highest number recorded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Tuesday, 06 September 2022, Minister Sandiaga said foreign visitors to Indonesia are dominated by five source countries: Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the U.S.A. Australia – the largest source of Indonesian visitors – represents nearly 40% of foreign visitors. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
On a cumulative basis, from January until July 2022, foreign visitors totaled 1.2 million people, 15 times more than the same period in 2021.
The Tourism Minister says the significant increase in foreign visitors to Indonesia is fundamentally fueled by travelers using visa-on-arrival to Bali.
Foreign visitors to Bali in July 2022 totaled 246,504. Adding: “This represents the highest number of arrivals since the pandemic with daily arrivals in the thousands. These visitors are entering Indonesia via Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Addressing Visa-on-Arrival (VoA), Sandiaga said 75 countries are now eligible to receive VoA with the recent addition of the Maldives, Monaco, and Columbia.
Citizens of ASEAN Nations are eligible for a visa-free visit to Indonesia. These nations include the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
199-mtr Glass Bridge Opens in Blahbatuh
Beritabali.com reports that the Balinese Regency of Gianyar is preparing to open Bali’s first glass bridge in the Village of Saba, Blahbatuh District, in September.
Frequently unsettling to the uninitiated, guests can walk the elevated 199-meter distance between Banjar Blansinga to Banjar Tegenungan in the Sukawati District. The resulting feeling for the brave heart is not unlike walking on thin air.
A leading villager of Blangsinga, I Nyoman Artawa Putra, also on the expert staff of the Regent of Gianyar, confirmed the bridge is scheduled to open in September 2022. The bridge was constructed under the supervision of a Chinese company that has built similar glass bridges worldwide. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
The contractor boasts that the finished bridge can bear loads of pedestrians up to a maximum weight of 40 tons. Putra said that once the bridge is open to the public, authorities will strictly control the number of people allowed to cross the bridge at any time. Putra added, “The number of people that can walk across the bridge simultaneously is around 250. The bridge will be very safe.”
Village officials and the Gianyar Regency have prepared supporting facilities for the new glass bridge, including parking lots and widening access roads to the ridge planned for 2023.
Putra said that in 2023 the surrounding roads would be taken over by the Regency and widened by an additional one meter to permit bus travel. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
The bridge’s construction is now complete but is not yet open to the public. Still to be finished is a gateway and ticket booth for the bridge that will span the Petanu River. Those using the bridge will enjoy views of the river below and the adjacent Tegenungan Waterfall.
China Airlines Flies Taiwan-Bali 2 x Weekly
China Airlines flying from Taiwan has returned to Bali with the landing of Flight Number CAL 771 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport on Friday, 02 September 2022, at 3:06 pm.
The flight was operated on an Airbus A333 aircraft configured to carry 307 passengers. Welcomed with a water canon salute, the inaugural flight carried only 163 passengers, comprised of 136 economy class and 26 business class travelers. The flight from Taipei to Bali took 5 hours and 30 minutes to complete. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
The return flight to Taipei (CAL 772) departed at 4:07 pm with 84 passengers on board.
China Airline’s flight is the 22nd international airline operating to Bali.
The manager of Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, Handy Heryudhitiawan, told BeritaBali.com that China Airlines plans to operate twice each week on Tuesday and Friday initially.
In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,196,497 Chinese Travelers (including mainland PRC) visited Bali, followed by 1,137,087 Australians, and 377,543 Indian nationals. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Before COVID-19, eight airlines operated 20 flight routes from Mainland China and Taipei.
From January to August 2022, 1,860,842 international passengers across 10,647 air movements traveled to and from Bali’s Airport. (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Putin Plans to Visit Bali in November
The State News Agency Antara quotes the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Lyudmila Vorobieva, saying the Jakarta Embassy is preparing for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Bali in November 2022 to attend the G20 Conference.
Ambassador Vorobieva’s comments were made during a press in Jakarta on Wednesday, 07 September 2022.
Confirming that President Putin has received a formal invitation from Indonesia to attend the G20 Summit, Vorobieva said, “The Russian Embassy in Jakarta has begun preparing for the arrival of Putin in Bali. On the Indonesian side, President Jokowi has already sent an invitation to President Putin. That invitation was received with great gratitude.” (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
Vorobieva explained that Putin intends to participate in the G20 Summit directly. Adding that the Russian President’s attendance continues to depend on developments in several areas, including the military operation in Ukraine, the future situation with COVID-19, and the overall security situation.
Vorobieva restated Russia’s continued support of the priorities set by Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20 Summit and continues to participate in various G20 programs conducted by Indonesia. Adding: “We fully support Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20 and greatly appreciate the position of the President and the Government of Indonesia.” (Main Article: Immigration Indonesia Reformation)
She said Russia is preparing to send two musicians to attend and perform at the G20 on 12 September 2022.
Russia is also ready to attend an October G20 Parliamentary Meeting in Jakarta.
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