'RI cannot deter' the influx of illegal migrants<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's efforts to prevent the influx of
\nillegal migrants is hampered by the sheer size of the country and
\nthe limited facilities to screen visa issuance.<\/p>\n
\"The government has been discussing measures to regulate visa
\nissuance, but it is difficult to screen the motivation of
\nforeigners coming to the country,\" Foreign Minister Hassan
\nWirayuda said on Monday after a meeting with Vice President
\nHamzah Haz.<\/p>\n
He said that the government was fully aware that the problem
\nof illegal migrants was closely related to the spread of
\nterrorism, and the drugs and illicit arms trade, while at the
\nsame time the country needed to boost tourism.<\/p>\n
The minister also said that it was also impossible for the
\nIndonesian Navy to monitor the entire Indonesian coastline to
\nprevent illegal migrants from entering the country.<\/p>\n
\"We have millions of square miles of coastline. Sea patrols
\nare not enough, our country is like a huge house without a
\nperimeter fence,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Basically, we need international help and multilateral
\ncooperation to handle the problem because actually this is not
\njust our problem, since most of the migrants are heading to
\nAustralia,\" Hassan said in a press briefing.<\/p>\n
The illegal migrants problem came to the fore following the
\npresence of 438 asylum-seekers mostly from Afghanistan, on board
\na Norwegian ship that tried to enter Indonesia last week.<\/p>\n
The government firmly refused to accept the freighter and so
\ndid the Australian government.<\/p>\n
Hassan further said that despite the diplomatic standoff over
\nthe problem relations between the two countries remained good and
\nAustralian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Immigration
\nMinister Phillip Ruddock would make a visit to Indonesia on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
\"We are going to have a consultation meeting with Australia on
\ndefense and immigration issues,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported on Monday that an Australian operation to
\nmove 438 asylum seekers from a freighter off Christmas Island to
\nPapua New Guinea began on Monday.<\/p>\n
The troop carrier HMAS Manoora moved to within several
\nhundred meters of the Norwegian freighter Tampa. Two barges to be
\nused to transfer the asylum seekers were standing between the two
\nships.<\/p>\n
The transfer was expected to take up to six hours, with
\nconditions in Christmas Island's Flying Fish Cove windy and
\nchoppy.<\/p>\n
A court, which had been asked to decide if Australia had acted
\nunlawfully in refusing to accept the mostly Afghan boat people,
\nlifted an injunction on Monday against moving them. Australia
\nwants to move the asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea, from where
\nthey will be flown to New Zealand and Nauru.<\/p>\n
The Tampa rescued the asylum seekers from a sinking Indonesian
\nferry in the Indian Ocean on Aug. 26 and has been the center of
\nan international diplomatic standoff ever since. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-cannot-deter-the-influx-of-illegal-migrants-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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