Chinese Embassy Reveals Citizens Of Extortion Victims At Soetta Airport, DPR: State Security Crime

Prospective airplane passengers are running in Terminal 3 area of Soekarno Hatta International Airport (Soetta), Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday, September 21, 2021. (ANTARA PHOTO-Fauzan)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission I DPR RI TB Hasanuddin responded to a letter sent by the People's Republic of China or China which revealed that a number of his citizens were victims of extortion at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

The letter dated January 21, 2025, stated that a number of its citizens were victims of extortion by Soekarno-Hatta Airport Immigration officers, or in the letter it was called Jakarta International Airport.

According to TB Hasanuddin, if the bribery case at the immigration gate of Soetta Airport is proven, then it is very dangerous for state security.

"This is not an ordinary crime, but a crime against national security," said TB Hasanuddin to reporters, Sunday, February 2.

TB Hasanuddin emphasized that the practice of bribery was very embarrassing, it could even tarnish and demean the good name of the Indonesian nation in the international world.

"Immigration is the front gate for our country's borders with other countries. Its function is to screen people entering the country so they don't have legal problems or threaten the security of the country during a visit," he explained.

For this reason, TB Hasanuddin asked law enforcement officials to investigate the alleged extortion at Soetta Airport to completion. Perpetrators of extortion must also be fired from their jobs.

"The government must immediately thoroughly investigate the complaint against the alleged bribery crime," he said.

It is known that this letter from the Chinese Embassy was sent to the Directorate General of Protocol and Consular Affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, and the Directorate General of Asia Pacific and African Affairs.

The Chinese embassy said there were 44 cases of extortion at Indonesian airports that were processed and resolved during 2024.

According to the Chinese Embassy, the dozens of cases handled were still partially due to many Chinese citizens who did not file a complaint for the extortion. The reason is because the schedule is busy or afraid of countermeasures when entering the destination country.