Lessons from Adelin Lis and Hendra Subrata Cases
The repatriation of Adelin Lis and Hendra Subrata as well as several other fugitives from a number of countries was only possible thanks to close international cooperation.
In the past two weeks, there has been a lot of news about the repatriation of Adelin Lis alias Hendro Leonardi and Hendra Subrata alias Endang Rifai alias Ayin from Singapore over immigration violations.
Both were on the Indonesian government’s most-wanted list after being on the run for several years, avoiding prison terms. Adelin Lis was found guilty of illegal logging in 2008, sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Rp 119 billion.
While Hendra Subrata was found guilty in 2010 for an attempted murder, sentenced to four years in prison. The way they fled abroad uses the same pattern, namely changing the identity of all documents as the basis for obtaining a passport. Cases of data falsification like this do not only occur in Indonesia, but also in other countries for various purposes.
We\'ve certainly seen the documentary film, Operation Finale, which tells of the escape of a former Nazi soldier, Adolf Eichmann. He was considered responsible for the mass massacre, the Holocaust, during World War II.
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Eichmann changed his entire identity until he managed to have a passport with the name Ricardo Klement to escape the hunt by Allied force and lived in Argentina for a dozen years.
The way the passport forgery case and Eichmann\'s arrest were uncovered was very interesting. Mossad continued to hunt down the war criminal. In 1960, Klement\'s true identity became known. The Mossad team managed to enter Argentina during the 150th Independence Day celebrations disguised as diplomats to arrest Eichmann who had just gotten off the bus in front of his house. Finally, the Mossad managed to get Eichmann out of Argentina on a special plane to be tried in Israel and was sentenced to death.
Cases of deliberate passport forgery also occurred in the United States-Iran political crisis, in 1979-1981. In what is known as The Canadian Caper, 52 US diplomats and citizens were held hostage by militant student groups in Tehran for 444 days. The hostages were used to demand the repatriation of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was in the US. With special arrangements to coincide with a media filming event, six US diplomats were finally able to escape Iran on 27 January 1980 after being granted Canadian passports.
Passport falsification can be done through falsifying data from the passport applicant or by falsifying the passport itself. In the first case, it is usually done by changing the identity of all supporting documents to meet the requirements for obtaining a passport. While the second is to make a passport book so that it looks like a real passport book.
Until now, passport issuance still refers to other supporting documents from the person who submitted it. For passports, it is customary to refer to the residence documents. Meanwhile, official and diplomatic passports refer to the owner\'s employment or assignment documents. Likewise, the United Nations, provides its employees with laissez-passer, refers to the position or rank of the owner.
A fugitive from illegal logging cases for 13 years, Adelin Lis was presented at a press conference at the Indonesian Attorney General\'s Office in Jakarta, Saturday (19/6/2021) night. Adelin Lis was deported for violating Singapore immigration rules by using someone else\'s passport in the name of Hendro Leonardi.
Evolution of Indonesian passport
Some senior citizens who frequently travelled abroad must have passport in handwritten. With the use of the computer until 2008, the personal data in the passport was typed and then printed with the printer. However, other data was still analog and stored in each office. The applicant fills out the form by handwriting, fingerprints stamped in ink. Simple computer devices only store some local data.
It was only in 2008 that Indonesia made a fundamental change. Quality standards, security features, issuance procedures, management, interoperability and other matters related to passports are more in line with the provisions of machine readable travel documents (MRTD). This is in accordance with document 9303 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which requires passports to be read equally by all immigration throughout the world.
In 2008, Indonesia gradually implemented the Immigration Management Information System (Simkim). A system that integrates a national database of passports, visas, border crossings and surveillance of foreigners nationally, and security, security features according to international standards that can only be seen with special tools for electronically collecting fingerprint data (biometrics) and all supporting data in electronic forms are stored in the central national immigration database. The data of each applicant is tested by a system that will automatically detect possible data duplication for further research and tracing.
Quality (of passport) continued to be upgraded until an electronic passport was created starting in 2015. This latest type of passport was equipped with a chip to store more detailed data about its owner and was issued only at a few immigration offices. Each passport application principally will be approved depending on the population supporting data attached.
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Even though Simkim has been implemented, the possibility of irresponsible people taking advantage of the lack of databases still exists. First, by people who have had a passport before the implementation of the new system. If he re-applies for a passport with a different identity after the Simkim application, he can pass. This is because there is no reference in the database for cross-checking.
Second, by people who have never had a passport. If someone is given a passport through Simkim, and it is later proven to have a different identity, the system only recognizes the identity in the database.
Third, by people who take advantage of the time difference in the implementation of Simkim (at Indonesian embassy) abroad. The implementation of Simkim at Indonesian representative offices abroad was carried out in stages, starting in 2012 for embassies that have
Immigration Attache until 2019 applied to all representative offices. This time difference can be used to get a passport with a different identity.
Another possibility is to make a fake passport book. However, it is small possibility because the passport security features are getting stricter. If it is successful with the same quality, it must print the data in the passport book with high security standards as well. If both are successful, they still have to deal with various reader machines at check-in counters and immigration checkpoints of other countries. Another way to falsify passport books is to use someone else\'s lost passport. In this case, the passport is replaced with the data of the person who uses it.
Hendra Subrata (81), a convicted murderer who has been a fugitive for 10 years arrived in Jakarta on Saturday (26/6/2021). He was deported from Singapore after being found to have a fake passport in the name of Endang Rifai.
Via another country
Basically, all countries continue to improve their security systems in accordance with international regulations and their economic and technological capabilities. If a country only relies on document reading without matching with the fingerprints of the holder, it will not get accurate data.
In the case of Adelin Lis and Hendra Subrata, in fact they have often travelled in and out of Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and even Japan over a period of more than 10 years. Until finally Adelin Lis\' fingerprint was detected by the Singapore immigration system and it matched with the passport of Hendro Leonardi.
In the case of Hendra Subrata, the Singapore immigration system could not detect immigration abuse because it used the name Endang Rifai. Hendra\'s fraud was uncovered more because of his own carelessness.
Given the various attempts and the various possibilities of fraud, some improvements are needed in the future. First, the integration of various databases leading to a single identity number is a necessity. Currently, national data on population and immigration is getting better. The integration process must be carried out or at least view access must be implemented immediately. Thus, there will be no more citizens whose data cannot be traced before being given a passport.
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Databases in other agencies, such as law enforcement officers, education, civil servants and the Indonesian Military (TNI)-National Police (Polri), need to be continuously refined and gradually integrated so that cross-checks can be carried out between one another. This is very important, not only for the sake of service, protection and security, but is also one of the embodiments of state sovereignty. The implementation of Presidential Regulation No. 39/2019 concerning Indonesia Single Data must be a priority.
Second, optimization of integrated biometric fingerprint technology needs to be implemented. This identification method that has been used for more than 100 years is still considered one of the best. The US National Research Council of the National Academies and The Legal and Forensic Sciences recorded a deviation of only 0.01 percent. This technology is commonly used and relatively inexpensive. Currently, in Indonesia, each agency still relies on its own biometric data.
Third, rationalization of the number of international entry and exit points. With 182 immigration checkpoints (TPI) and the number of foreign visits reaching 19 million in 2019, services and security at international gates are very important. If only a few international gateways are set, we will focus more on policies, resources and attention. In addition, it will also encourage improvement of domestic transportation.
Fourth, increasing international cooperation on various issues and to deal with criminals that flee abroad or on other issues related to the authorities of other countries. Good cooperation with international, regional, or bilateral institutions is important so that any cross-country problems can be managed and resolved properly.
Didik Eko Pujianto
The repatriation of Adelin Lis and Hendra Subrata as well as several other fugitives from a number of countries was only possible thanks to close international cooperation. Not to forget, no matter how good the system is upgraded and no matter how sophisticated the equipment is used, the role of the person in charge is ultimately the most decisive.
Didik Eko Pujianto,Deputy Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore
This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko.
