Indonesia lawmaker pushes for expanded foreign national patrols

Willy Aditya, Chairman of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), has called for the expansion of immigration patrols targeting foreign nationals (WNA) across various regions in Indonesia. This follows recent enforcement actions in Bali, where the Directorate General of Immigration conducted the ‘Patrol Dharma Dewata’ in Canggu, Badung.

During these patrols, immigration officials detained five foreign nationals for overstaying their permits and questioned another regarding limited stay permit (ITAS) documentation. Aditya emphasized that while Indonesia remains open to foreign visitors, strict adherence to immigration laws is mandatory. He praised the current approach for being firm yet maintaining a ‘humanist’ character, suggesting that Bali serve as a model for strengthening foreign national supervision in other major tourist destinations.