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COORDINATING Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has banned problematic foreigners (WNA) from entering Indonesian territory, including those who abuse investor permits and are caught in drug cases.
“I found you violated, I closed you, you are not allowed to come to Indonesia,” said Luhut in Nusa Dua, Badung Regency, Bali, Wednesday (05/15), 2024.
According to him, this move is a form of firmness against foreigners who cause problems ranging from misuse of permits, including temporary residence permits or investor visas, to involvement in drug cases.
Luhut also assured that banning problematic foreigners from entering Indonesia would create security in the country and provide comfort to the public, tourists and investors. In addition, a few days ago, joint officers led by the National Police Headquarters arrested a foreigner who was cultivating hydroponic marijuana plants and a drug factory in a villa in North Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali.
“We can’t be half-hearted; we have to be firm. Is it true that this country can be dissolved because they are foreigners? No,” he said.
Luhut added that according to the Bali provincial office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, as many as 340 foreigners will be deported from Bali in 2023. This number has increased from 2022, when 188 foreigners were expelled from the island of the gods.
They were deported for various reasons, including misuse of their residence permits, overstaying or being involved in criminal cases. Earlier, a joint team from the Narcotics Crime Directorate, Bareskrim Polri, Jakarta Customs and Excise, Bali Customs and Excise, Bali Immigration, Bali Police Narcotics Directorate and Badung Police arrested four people in the drug and hydroponic marijuana factory case.
Three of the four perpetrators were foreigners, namely Ivan Volovod (31) and Mikhayla Volovod (31) from Ukraine and another person from Russia, Konstantin Krutz, who was arrested at a villa in Canggu, Badung regency on Thursday (05/2). The three foreigners also hold temporary residence permits as investors in the real estate sector.
Another perpetrator is an Indonesian citizen with the initials LM, who is an accomplice of Fredy Pratama, the controller of a transnational drug network.
The suspects are subject to Article 114 (2) subsidiary Article 113 (2), Article 112 (2), Article 129 letter a and Article 111 (2) in conjunction with Article 132 (1) of Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 35 2009 on Narcotics, with a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of death, as well as a minimum fine of IDR1 billion and a maximum fine of IDR10 billion. [antaranews/photo special]
