Australia firm on illegal immigration

Australia firm on illegal immigration

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Minister for Immigration and
Multicultural Affairs Philip Ruddock called on the Indonesian
government to tighten its borders to help stem illegal
immigration into Australia.

The visiting minister stressed that as one of Australia's
closest neighbors, Indonesia was an important element in helping
curb the number of illegal aliens.

"Indonesia is a part of the solution to stop this problem. I
am here to work with your government to spread the message that
Indonesians need to be suspicious of offers of money to take
people to Australia for there are risks and losses," he told
journalists.

According to Ruddock, Jakarta and Canberra will combine
efforts to exchange information to enhance the capacity to detect
and deter these activities.

Ruddock explained that his government has adopted new measures
to stop this problem, including tough new immigration laws, as
the number of illegal immigrants has multiplied in the last three
years from 2,000 to 4,000. Most illegal immigrants were from Iraq
and Afghanistan.

"The smugglers will be detained and prosecuted under the
Australian Migration Act, where they may be jailed up to 20 years
or fined up to A$220,000 (approximately US$143,000)," he said.

He claimed that investigations show that Indonesia was a
common route for those seeking illegal access to Australia.

Ruddock said eight Indonesian fishermen were recently
sentenced up to two years, while 70 others are detained and now
awaiting trial or sentencing for the smuggling activities.

He also said that he has visited several Middle Eastern
countries last month to request similar cooperation.

Ruddock believes Australia has been a popular destination
partly because of misinformation that all arrivals will
automatically be given permanent residence status.

"These are lies, because there is no place for people coming
illegally to Australia," he said. (01)