"Of course, the visa free policy has advantages and disadvantages. Despite the positive part that many people can now visit Indonesia easily, it also involves a certain risk. It is imperative that we achieve a balance," Jusuf Kalla said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesias Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said the government will review the visa free policy after one year in the context of measures to prevent terrorism.
"Of course, the visa free policy has advantages and disadvantages. Despite the positive part that many people can now visit Indonesia easily, it also involves a certain risk. It is imperative that we achieve a balance," Jusuf Kalla, better known as JK, stated.
Earlier, the vice president received Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to discuss several issues related to national security, including radicalism, a factor impacting national stability.
The vice president also warned that terrorists can enter the country in multiple ways.
For example, he noted, the terrorists were able to infiltrate into countries that imposed strict visa policy, such the United States and Australia.
"Certainly, we should be alert, but we also wish to grant wider access to tourists to visit Indonesia," JK remarked.
Citing an example, the vice president said that Malaysia and Thailand had put in place a free visa policy for nearly 100 countries, and that automatically doubled the number of tourist visits.
Indonesia must guard against the negative impact of the free visa policy by stepping up its security alertness, he stated.
Previously, chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I Mahfudz Siddiq explained that his side had urged the government to review the free visa policy.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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