BATAM IMMIGRATION FACILITATES INDONESIANS VISITING SINGAPORE

Batam, Nov 10 (ANTARA) - The first-rate Immigration Office in Batam will facilitate Indonesians to visit Singapore by providing them with a special card to enter the island state.

Head of the Batam immigration office Dirman Sukardi said here Monday the special card functions like a smart card used by foreigners entering Indonesia through Batam.

Indonesians showing those special cards have no need for producing their passports to immigration personnel for a stamp. They only need to put their finger prints on a computerized special apparatus.

Besides, those using the smart card have no need to stand in the ordinary line, as the immigration has provided a special line for them.

Smart card users are normally businesspeople, or government officials with a very high international mobility and meeting other necessary requirements.

Dirman said the Batam Immigration Office has held several meetings with their Singaporean counterparts to discuss the application of the new system on Indonesians going to Singapore.

"The meetings will be followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding," Dirman added.

The system will be applied in view of the high mobility of Indonesians to Singapore via Batam.

According to statistics, in August 2008 a total of 44,360 Indonesians left Indonesia via the Batam Center port, and their number increased to 44,410 in September the same year.

A drastic increase in their number took place in October 2008 reaching 47,995.