Afghan migrants urged to go home

JAKARTA: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will begin the voluntary repatriation of Afghan migrants stranded in Indonesia in the next two weeks.

The repatriation follows an agreement reached between the Indonesian and Afghan authorities, IOM and the UN High Commission for Refugees on procedures allowing for the voluntary return of undocumented Afghan migrants stranded here en route to Australia.

Afghan Refugees and Repatriation Minister Enayatullah Nazeri visited Indonesia to sign the deal last week.

The migrants will fly from Indonesia to Dubai in IOM-escorted groups of 30, where they will catch a weekly IOM charter flight to Kabul.

During his visit here, Nazeri met with over 400 Afghans in three different locations, where he told them that they were welcome to return home.

"The Minister's visit to the stranded Afghans was a great boost to their morale whether or not they are candidates for an early return. His presence was a sign that they have not been forgotten," said IOM's Country Director in Indonesia Richard Danziger.

The migrants initially traveled to Indonesia hoping to be smuggled into Australia. But the recent crackdown on the trade, which has seen six major smugglers recently arrested in Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, has drastically reduced the number of new arrivals. -- JP