Asia-Pacific region to spur antipeople smuggling
Asia-Pacific region to spur antipeople smuggling
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Ministers from the Asia Pacific region wound up their two-day
conference on combating people smuggling on Wednesday with a
pledge to forge closer cooperation among member countries and
international organizations, and to draft legal frameworks
dealing with these issues.
They also appealed for more economic aid for source countries
to reduce illegal migration pressures and adequate consideration
for improved opportunities for legal migration, "including access
to the international labor market".
Speaking at the end of a two-day seminar, which was jointly
organized by Indonesia and Australia, foreign minister Hassan
Wirayuda said that while much work remained, "we have taken one
big, important step toward the eradication of the problem of
people-smuggling, trafficking in persons and related
transnational crimes in our region."
"We are seeing the progress of the Bali Process. Indeed we
agreed not only to continue to work on illegal migrants but also
to maintain the political momentum regarding the regional
cooperation on people smuggling," said Hassan, co-chairman of the
conference.
"The Bali Process does not legislate. The Process does not
force anybody to do anything. But it provides frameworks of
cooperation, context and priority in dealing with people
smuggling and other transnational crimes," said Australian
foreign minister Alexander Downer, co-chairman of the meeting.
Some 28 ministers from 32 countries, representatives from 14
observer nations and officials from 15 international agencies met
in Denpasar, Bali, following up the first such meeting in
February last year.
The ministers agreed to reconvene for the third ministerial
conference within two or three years to review the progress of
what they call the Bali Process. Senior official meetings will
also be organized every year to ensure that the Bali Process
works well. Participating countries had initially agreed to stop
at the second conference.
The Bali Process has provided adequate knowledge to
participating countries on how to manage illegal migrants and
people smuggling. It also provides technical cooperation in
enhancing their capacity building in terms of legal
infrastructure and other kinds of assistance.
The first ministerial conference focused on the challenges
confronting states in their efforts to combat transnational
crimes, in particular people smuggling and trafficking, while the
second provided an opportunity to reflect on follow-up to date
and focus attention on the issues still to be tackled.
Within one year, there has been remarkable progress in dealing
with people smuggling, trafficking in people and other related
transnational crimes among participating countries.
Hassan said Indonesia had gained direct benefits from the
conference. In l999, the country hosted 3,832 illegal migrants
mostly from Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries,
including Iraq.
After the first Bali conference, Indonesia signed an agreement
with the Afghan government on how to deal with these migrants.
"With the help of the Afghan government, IOM and UNHCR, around
605 Afghans have returned home voluntarily," Hassan said,
referring to the International Organization of Migration and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Currently, the number of illegal migrants in Indonesia is only
around 450 people.
Asian countries, and especially Indonesia, were for years a
transit point for gangs smuggling asylum-seekers -- mainly
Afghans and Iraqis -- into Australia by boat.
"I hope that with the situation in Iraq is getting better so
illegal migrants from that country could also return home,"
Hassan said.
The co-chairs' statement urged the international community to
assist source countries to address the root causes of the illegal
movement of people by providing emergency aid, development
assistance, direct support programs for displaced persons and to
address the plight of refugees.