Director General Of Immigration Asks Officers To Be Equipped With Firearms In The Immigration Bill

Immigration officers examined the immigration of tourists who had just arrived at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. (ANTARA-Fikri Yusuf)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) explained that the request for the provision of firearms (senpi) in the problem inventory list (DIM) of the Draft Law on the Third Amendment to Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration (RUU Immigration) is intended to defend itself.

"Not in an offensive context, but rather in self-defense. In fact, in some institutions, such as Customs and Excise and also in Forestry, weapons are provided," said Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim at a working committee meeting of the DPR RI Legislation Body at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 11, which was confiscated by Antara.

The request is regulated in a DIM that is of new substance, and regulated in Article 3 paragraph (4) of the Immigration Bill which reads, in carrying out immigration functions in the field of law enforcement and state security, certain Immigration Officials can be equipped with firearms that are of the type and the terms of use are regulated in accordance with the provisions of the legislation.

Silmy explained that the request was included in the DIM of the Immigration Bill after in several cases there were members who died while on duty.

One, it happened at the North Jakarta Immigration Office. At that time we received an overflow from Densus, three terrorist prisoners who were ready to be deported," he said.

He said that one immigration member died because he was unarmed when facing the terrorist herd in 2023.

"Second, our members were killed while in the mentoring process at an apartment in Jakarta. At that time they were also unarmed, and claimed victims. Now these are things that need to be supported by means of self-defense," he said.

Previously, the Chairman of the Legislative Council of the Republic of Indonesia, Wihadi Wiyanto, had received the DIM on the Immigration Bill submitted by the Minister of Law and Human Rights Supratman Andi Agtas at a working meeting at the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 11.

Wihadi said that the Government conveyed 52 DIM of the Immigration Bill, consisting of 30 permanent DIMs, 1 editorial DIM, 6 DIMs of substance, 10 DIMs of new substance, and 5 DIMs removed.