Karim explained in a written statement to the press on Monday, 23rd of September, that the deaths of several immigration officers, who were attacked by foreigners while on duty, prompted discussions that led to the revised Immigration Bill being passed into law by the Indonesian House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, or DPR RI) in a plenary session held on Thursday, 19th September.

“Previously, in the first stage of the discussion of the bill, we explained to the DPR that there had been several tragic incidents in which immigration officers had died in the line of duty. When securing foreigners, they were attacked as the foreigners were carrying weapons and the officers were not equipped with anything to protect their lives — because there were no regulations that accommodated this,” Karim divulged.

Karim believes that the new law will assist immigration officers in managing the risks and dangers they may face during their duties.

“After such an extraordinary fight, we can now have new immigration regulations; a new legal umbrella that we have prepared for the sake of answering today’s challenges as well as facing the future,” Karim continued.

In addition to authorising immigration officers to carry firearms, the new bill also stipulates that foreigners who have completed the investigation stage by Indonesian authorities and have reached the prosecutor’s demand stage can now be barred from leaving Indonesia. Furthermore, the bill introduces updates regarding multiple-entry permits for foreigners. The new regulation stipulates that the duration of a multiple-entry permit — also known as Multiple Entry Residence Permit or MERP (Izin Masuk Kembali or IMK) — is now the same as the foreigner’s ITAS (Izin Tinggal Terbatas or limited stay permit) or ITAP (Izin Tinggal Tetap or permanent residence permit). Before the new bill was passed, MERP was in effect for only two years at the longest.