Illegal immigrants number 1,663

Illegal immigrants number 1,663

JAKARTA: The number of illegal immigrants housed in various
facilities throughout Indonesia has reached 1,663, immigration
director general Imam Santoso said on Friday.

"Their actual number could be higher than that," Imam said.
Most of them live in accommodation provided by the United Nations
High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).

The existing quarantine facilities (where illegal immigrants
are housed) are inadequate. To accommodate illegal immigrants,
the government plans to build three quarantine facilities in
Sumatra, three in Java, one in Sulawesi and one in East Nusa
Tenggara.

Indonesia has become the preferred stopover point for illegal
immigrants, mostly coming from the Middle East, en route to
Australia.

"Indonesia and Australia have explored cooperation on illegal
immigration, knowing that the problem concerns both countries,"
Imam said.--Antara