A complaint from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia over extortion cases at the main Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has led to the removal of 30 immigration officials from airport duty and raised anew a debate over shakedowns involving tourists.
The Chinese mission in a Jan 21 letter that was posted on X by anti-corruption activists and widely circulated since conveyed a formal complaint regarding at least 44 instances of extortion against over 60 Chinese nationals at the country’s busiest airport, which welcomed 54.8 million passengers in 2024.
The Immigration and Corrections Ministry on Feb 2 announced the removal of the 30 immigration officers, while minister Agus Andrianto said the number of airport autogates for arrivals is being increased to reduce encounters between international passengers and immigration officials. He did not give details of the plan or the methods of extortion.
Visitors from China must each pay 500,000 rupiah (RM136) for a visa on arrival.
As a preventive measure, the government has also put up new signs in Chinese, Arabic and English at the airport’s immigration checkpoints, warning against tipping, he added.
“I will ensure that if they are not dedicated to perform their duties and embarrass Indonesia, I will investigate and take action against them in compliance with prevailing regulations,” Agus said, referring to errant officers.
Hery Sudiarto, chairman of the Asia Pacific and Middle East Committee at the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agency Association, representing agencies, called for tighter supervision at immigration checkpoints through CCTV cameras to deter potential extortion.
“Officers who are proven to have committed wrongdoing through extortion must be prosecuted and face punishments in line with Indonesian laws,” he said.
“We don’t want the hard work by tourism stakeholders to promote Indonesia and attract foreigners through sales missions to be ruined by a few irresponsible officers, who should ideally offer their best services to visitors not only during arrivals, but also departures.”
Indonesia has been trying to increase foreign arrivals from China. In 2024, the country welcomed 1.2 million Chinese visitors, up 52% from a year earlier.
Anti-corruption activists have also urged for culprits to be prosecuted, instead of just removed from their posts.
The Chinese Embassy letter said cash totalling 32.8 million rupiah (RM8,908) had been returned, with help of the Indonesian government, to Chinese nationals who paid the illegal fees between February 2024 and January 2025.
The embassy added in the letter: “It is just the tip of the iceberg, since many more Chinese nationals who were extorted did not file complaints due to tight schedules or fear of reprisals on future entries.”
The revelation of the embassy’s complaint followed a high-profile extortion scandal in December 2024, when rogue policemen targeted foreign concertgoers. The scandal came to light following complaints from at least 45 Malaysians, who travelled to Jakarta for the Djakarta Warehouse Project concert between Dec 13 and 15. — The Straits Times/ANN
