Ministry of Immigration and Corrections
Directorate General of Immigration
The Hague - Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna H. Laoly, is building cooperation with the Dutch government to combat transnational crime. This is because transnational crime issue is increasingly significant and threatens national and international security. According to Yasonna, transnational crime is increasing along with technological advances because its reach is global. So, the government must build bilateral cooperation in the field of digital technology in order to effectively combat the crime. "The government must utilize technology to effectively combat transnational crime. For this reason, Indonesia and the Netherlands are encouraging cooperation through digital technology and social media platforms," said Yasonna in a meeting with the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, on Friday (25/08/2023). Various forms of transnational crime have harmed society, including human trafficking and cyber fraud. In the meeting, which was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Mayertas, and Secretary General, Andap Budhi Revianto, Yasonna wanted Indonesia and the Netherlands to increase cooperation between law enforcement and border control. “Transnational criminals can post fake job vacancies abroad, until finally the victims are forced to stay and cannot return home. The Indonesian and Dutch governments need to increase cooperation to combat these crimes,” he said. Indonesia itself has created a database system to monitor the mobility of transnational crime victims who have been successfully repatriated, as well as tightening the immigration inspection process. In addition, Indonesia has entered into agreements on Mutual Legal Assistance, extradition, and legal cooperation with many countries to address transnational crime. Furthermore, this cooperation with the Netherlands will further strengthen the level of security and the government's ability to protect its people from crime. The ongoing bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands in the legal field have shown a positive trend. The two countries routinely hold dialogues in the INLU (Indonesia - The Netherlands Legal Update) forum. This annual dialogue forum involves various groups, including government, law enforcement, civil society organizations, as well as legal experts and academics, to exchange views, experiences and best practices in the legal field. Minister Yeşilgöz expressed his appreciation to Minister Yasonna for the increased cooperation between the two countries. The Netherlands will continue to support Indonesia in combating transnational crime, legal reform efforts, and advancing human rights. During his visit to the Netherlands, the Minister of Law and Human Rights also discussed cooperation in the correctional sector with the head of Reclassering Nederland, Johan Bac, and the representative of CILC (Center for International Law Cooperation) Anne-Marie Bruist. Reclassering Nederland is an independent organization that provides advice to judges, prosecutors, and prison chiefs regarding suspects and convicts who are on probation. Meanwhile, CILC was founded in 1985 by the Dutch government for a judicial cooperation program with Indonesia. Since 2019, Indonesia, along with Reclassering and CILC, have worked together to provide correctional officials and officers in many regions in Indonesia. In this meeting, the three parties agreed to continue cooperation that focuses on increasing human resource capacity in the application of alternative sanctions. "Indonesia can learn from the Netherlands in handling suspects and convicts, especially in the application of alternative sanctions and social work," said Yasonna. Yasonna also said that Indonesia already has a new Criminal Code (KUHP). This Criminal Code reforms the approach of the correctional system that prioritizes corrective justice, rehabilitative justice, and restorative justice. "Cooperation with the Netherlands can help Indonesia draft implementing regulations for the new Criminal Code in implementing alternative punishments, because the Netherlands has previously implemented an alternative punishment system and restorative justice," he said. In this bilateral meeting, in addition to the Secretary General, the Minister of Law and Human Rights was also accompanied by the Special Staff for Foreign Relations, the Director of Immigration Stay Permits and the Director of Human Rights Communication Services.
Last updated 02 December 2024
