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