KUPANG, BALINEWS – Indonesia’s Presidential Staff Office (KSP) held a coordination meeting in Kupang to strengthen services and protection for Indonesian citizens abroad, particularly in the border region between Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
Held at the Kupang Class I Immigration Office on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the meeting focused on addressing human trafficking, online scams, illegal border crossings, and cases involving Indonesian citizens working abroad without proper documentation.
Saroha Manullang, Head of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), was among the speakers at the meeting. Other participants included representatives from the East Nusa Tenggara Regional Police, the local office of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), and the East Nusa Tenggara Migrant Worker Protection Service (BP3MI).
The meeting brought together government agencies and relevant stakeholders to strengthen interagency coordination, improve public services, and address challenges affecting Indonesian citizens in Timor-Leste.
Manullang emphasized that East Nusa Tenggara’s geographical position, which shares a direct land border with Timor-Leste, requires close cooperation among government institutions and law enforcement agencies.
“Services and protection for Indonesian citizens in border areas require synergy between Immigration, law enforcement officials, local governments, and all relevant agencies. Through effective coordination, challenges in monitoring cross-border movements and addressing problems faced by Indonesian citizens can be handled more effectively,” Manullang said.
Other key issues discussed included citizenship administration, the synchronization of immigration and migrant worker data, and efforts to raise public awareness about safe and legal migration.
The meeting also highlighted the need to prevent human trafficking and protect Indonesian citizens from illegal recruitment practices and transnational crimes.
Local governments at both provincial and regency or municipal levels were encouraged to play a greater role in educating communities about the risks of irregular migration. Strengthening the Immigration-Assisted Village and Golden Migrant Village programs was also discussed as part of broader efforts to prevent and address human trafficking.
Improved data integration and information sharing among agencies are expected to support more effective monitoring, prevention, and case handling in accordance with each institution’s authority.
As a border region, East Nusa Tenggara plays a strategic role in monitoring cross-border movements while ensuring that immigration services operate effectively. Cooperation among Immigration, law enforcement agencies, local governments, and managers of State Border Crossing Posts (PLBN) is considered essential to addressing cross-border challenges.
Following the coordination meeting, the agenda was scheduled to continue with field visits to the Kupang Class I Immigration Office, the Kupang Immigration Detention Center, and the East Nusa Tenggara Migrant Worker Protection Service (BP3MI).
The visits were intended to provide a firsthand assessment of immigration services and institutional support for handling cases involving Indonesian citizens.
Through stronger interagency cooperation, the East Nusa Tenggara Immigration Office aims to improve services and protection for Indonesian citizens, strengthen border monitoring, and prevent transnational crime along the Indonesia–Timor-Leste border.
