Govt to make people-smuggling a crime

Govt to make people-smuggling a crime

Indonesia will include sanctions against people smugglers in a
bill on immigration currently being prepared, Minister of Justice
and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said in Jakarta Wednesday.

"So far there are no (legal) articles on this and therefore we
are including some regulations governing this matter in the draft
bill on immigration," the minister said.

Yusril said that at present illegal immigrants faced legal
punishment if caught, but people smugglers could not be touched
by the law.

He said that the draft law provided for illegal immigrants to
face up to five years in jail and fines of up to Rp 250 million
(US$27,578)

Anyone caught smuggling people for his own profit or that of
others will face between three and 15 years in jail and fines of
between Rp 150 million and Rp 750 million.

Until now authorities have only been able to charge suspected
people-smugglers with visa violation offenses.

Police in Indonesia frequently complain of the difficulties
they face in bringing known people-smugglers to court.

Indonesia has been under pressure from Australia to introduce
a law banning the smuggling of human cargo. It has become a major
center of operations for people-smuggling syndicates, who use it
as a transit point to send illegal migrants to Australia.

An estimated 3,500 illegal migrants are in Indonesia. Most of
them became stranded there after being thwarted in their attempts
to reach Australia.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees office in
Jakarta had received asylum requests from 2,111 refugees by the
end of last year. -- AFP