It has taken less than one week for Bali’s new Dharma Dewata Immigration Task Force to start deporting foreigners.
The new task force has been created to conduct surveillance and monitoring on the activities of foreigners, including tourists, in Bali’s most popular destinations.
The team has confirmed that they have successfully detained a Ukrainian national for immigration violations.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Dharma Dewata Immigration Task Force in Denpasar last week, the Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, made it clear that the team’s immigration patrols are not to be seen as ceremonial activities but as strict, committed law-enforcement actions.
He explained, “This is a concrete manifestation of the state’s presence in surveillance. We want to provide a preventative effect while ensuring law enforcement.”
The Dharma Dewata Immigration Task Force team has confirmed that they have deported a 32-year-old Ukrainian national known by his initials DB. The man was detained on 18th April and faces deportation measures after immigration teams found that he had committed a major overstay on his visa.
The Ngurah Rai Class I Special Immigration Office (TPI) has confirmed that it collaborated with the Bali National Narcotics Agency (BNN) to track DB down. The targeted sting stemmed from information from a tip-off to the BNN about suspicious drug use by a foreign national at a villa in the Canggu area.
Speaking to reporters, the Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, made it clear that his office will not tolerate foreign nationals who violate Indonesian law, whether by violating residence permits or engaging in other criminal acts. “For these violations, the person concerned will be subject to Immigration Administrative Action in the form of deportation and detention in accordance with applicable regulations.”
It has been confirmed that, in addition to the alleged drug offenses, DB had overstayed by 66 days. Typically, overstays are met with a fine of IDR 1,000,000 per day and deportation orders; in some cases, individuals will also be added to the Indonesian Deterrence List, aka the blacklist.
Speaking to reporters following the successful arrest of DB, Felucia Sengky Ratna, Head of the Bali Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, praised the cross-agency operation’s success. She highlighted how the Dharma Dewata Immigration Patrol Unit is already proving to be a step in the right direction to maintain Bali’s position as a global tourism destination.
She explained, “The Dharma Dewata Immigration Patrol is our concrete step in upholding the dignity and harmony of the Island of the Gods. We want to ensure that Bali remains a safe and comfortable home for international tourists who come with good intentions and respect local laws and wisdom. Through measured supervision and synergy between agencies, we are working together to build quality and sustainable tourism in Bali.”
Tourists traveling to Bali may encounter the Dharma Dewata Immigration Task Force Team while they are out on patrol in the island’s most popular resorts, including Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, and Uluwatu.
The Immigration Task Force Officers will be working alongside the newly established Village Guidance Immigration Officers (PIMPASA) across communities in Bali. PIMPASA officers are set to play a frontline role in prevention through education and gathering information on the presence of foreigners in each community.
Officers will be conducting spot checks on tourists, asking questions about their reasons for being in Bali, their intended activities, as well as their immigration status, including passport checks.
Speaking to officers at last week’s inauguration, Marantoko called on the officers to do their duty with care and fairness as the island continues to grapple with a fading balance while attracting ever more international tourists.
He noted, “The current immigration challenges are increasingly complex with the increasing flow of globalization, tourism, and investment. Therefore, professionalism, integrity, and solid coordination between all relevant elements are required.”
Concluding that officers are to “always carry out their duties with full responsibility, uphold ethics, and prioritize a humanistic approach while remaining firm in enforcing the law.”
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