On the basis of data from the Directorate General of Immigration Kemenkumham, 20,614,717 people had left the territory of Indonesia, while 19,921,016 people entered the Indonesian territory, he noted.
"Hence, more are going out than coming in. Thus, if a hoax is circulating that says we have been invaded by an influx of tens of millions of foreigners, that is what hoaxes are, political hoaxes are called, hoax scare," Laoly remarked at the Year 2018 event held at the Kemenkumham building, Jakarta, Thursday.
Laoly also asserted that the Directorate General of Immigration is the most credible agency to determine the number of people entering Indonesia through the Immigration Checkpoint (TPI).
"The most credible institution that determines the entry and exit of Indonesians through TPI is the immigration; the data is clear. There is no way that millions of people suddenly come down from the sky; there is no story," Laoly pointed out.
In addition, the minister highlighted the importance of increasing and enforcing the law on immigration.
"One form of law enforcement is the resolution of 141 cases of the Pro Justisia case, 2,845 foreign immigration administrative actions, and postponement of passports, as it is suspected that there will be 5,796 Indonesian migrant workers," he noted.
On the other hand, Laoly said the immigration public service will continue to be improved through "upgrading" the immigration system, or SIMKIM, so that services for providing immigration documents can be fast and accurate.
"Until now, we have issued as many as 3,183,951 passports and documents of residence permits for foreigners totaling 395,858 comprising 250,407 visit permits, 2,836 limited residence permits, and 142,615 permanent residence permits," the minister added.
Reporting by Benardy Ferdiansyah, Eliswan Azly
Editing by Andi Abdussalam
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Yosep Hariyadi
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
