BALINEWSID.COM, SOE — The Kupang Immigration Detention Center has established the Regional Forum for Communication on the Handling of Immigration Detainees and Refugees (FORKOPDENSI) in Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, as part of efforts to strengthen cross-agency coordination in handling immigration and refugee-related issues.

The forum was inaugurated on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Hotel Bahagia Dua in Soe.

The establishment of FORKOPDENSI is aimed at strengthening coordination, ensuring rapid responses, and developing integrated measures in dealing with detainees and refugees while maintaining security, public order, humanitarian considerations, and national interests.

Several key institutions participated in the forum, including the TTS Police, Kodim 1621/TTS Military District Command, TTS Kesbangpol, the local BIN intelligence office, the TTS Social Affairs Office, the Education and Culture Office, and the TTS Public Order Agency (Satpol PP).

Head of the East Nusa Tenggara Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration Saroha Manullang, accompanied by Head of the Kupang Immigration Detention Center I Made Surya Artha, said the handling of detainees and refugees was a cross-sector issue requiring continuous coordination and cooperation.

Each institution, he said, has a role based on its respective duties and authority in maintaining regional stability while ensuring that humanitarian considerations remain a priority.

“We want FORKOPDENSI to become the eyes and ears of all stakeholders at the regional level and serve as a platform for early detection of potential issues involving detainees and refugees, so that they can receive a rapid and appropriate response from the relevant agencies and local government,” Saroha said.

Through FORKOPDENSI, inter-agency coordination is expected to become more effective, particularly in early detection, information sharing and mapping potential vulnerabilities.

TTS Regency is considered strategically important because it serves as a land transit route to and from Timor-Leste. The regency also has a long coastline and the largest population among regencies and cities in East Nusa Tenggara.

The forum is also expected to serve as a strategic communication platform to establish a common understanding and coordinated response to potential security and public-order threats, as well as social issues that may arise within local communities.

With the establishment of the TTS regional FORKOPDENSI, all participating institutions have committed to strengthening communication, coordination and collaboration to ensure that issues involving detainees and refugees can be addressed quickly, appropriately and measurably, in accordance with applicable regulations.

The formation of the forum also underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring that detainees and refugees are handled humanely without compromising immigration supervision, security, public order and national interests.