Is extortion widespread at Indonesia’s entry points? Officer’s firing sparks concern

Batam is about an hour’s ferry ride from nearby Singapore.

Photo: Dewey Sim The firing of an Indonesian immigration officer at a Batam seaport, following reports of extortion of foreign tourists, has raised questions about the prevalence of such practices across the country’s entry points.

Batam, in Indonesia’s Riau Islands province, is a popular destination for visitors from nearby Singapore as it boasts scenic beaches an hour’s ferry ride from the city state.

The island’s appeal has recently been marred by allegations of extortion by immigration officers at Batam Centre International Ferry Terminal, with several Singapore tourists saying they had to cough up as much as S$250 (US$194) to pass entry checks, which should have been free for all Southeast Asian visitors.

Extortion during immigration checks is reportedly a notorious trend in Indonesia.

Last year, the immigration office fired dozens of officers after the Chinese embassy sent a letter exposing systemic extortion at Jakarta’s main Soekarno-Hatta airport between February 2024 and January 2025.

A Singaporean tourist, identified as AC, told media from the city state on March 25 that he and his partner were brought to a “hidden interrogation room” at the Batam terminal by an immigration officer after moving to a shorter auto-gate line.

AC claimed that other foreigners from Malaysia, China, the Philippines and Bangladesh were also in the room.

AC said there was nobody behind them in the line, but the officer told him that “he acted disrespectfully by crossing the railing”.

The officer demanded S$100 per person, otherwise they would be detained for the night and sent back the next day.

The two Singaporeans eventually paid in cash, which the officers “added to a stack under a keyboard”.

The skyline of Singapore is seen shrouded in haze past watercraft as seen from Batam in Indonesia’s Riau Islands.

Batam is a popular destination for visitors from the city state.

Photo: AFP Another visitor named Nay came to Batam via Singapore with his elderly parents, and had to pay S$250 for his parents to enter the island.

Nay, a Burmese working in Singapore, was told by “a guy who dressed casually” that there was “issue with his parents’ Malaysian visas”, though the group passed the Malaysian immigration checks in Johor Bahru that morning “with no issues”, he said.

The group also cleared immigration checks in Singapore before crossing to Batam, he said. “The casually dressed guy said that the S$200 is

原文链接: 南华早报