Afghan migrants urged to go home

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