Kupang police detain 146 asylum seekers
Kupang police detain 146 asylum seekers
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
Police in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) said on Friday they had
detained 146 foreign asylum seekers attempting to sail to
Australia via the province's capital, Kupang.
Adj. Comr. I Wayan Dana, spokesman for the provincial police,
told The Jakarta Post that the motorboat carrying the asylum
seekers from Iran and Iraq broke down off southern Rote island,
about 100 miles from Kupang.
He said the interception made by East Rote Police followed a
tip-off from local villagers.
The incident brings the total number of asylum seekers, mostly
from the Middle East, to 1,708 currently being held in police
cells or housed at accommodation centers across NTT.
Out of the total, 243 people were from Afghanistan and 267
others were Iraqi. They are waiting for the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to process their applications to
go to a third country after Australia steadfastly refused to
accept or accommodate them.
Australia has blamed Indonesia for the rising influx of asylum
seekers from the Middle East and South Asian countries. In
response, Jakarta has said Canberra should not point its finger
at Indonesia because it was also facing a similar refugee
problem.
The issue resurfaced in October after an Indonesian boat
carrying 418 asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iran sank on its
way to Australia, killing over 350 on board.
Some of those aboard have since reportedly obtained refugee
status to enter Australia.
Indonesia has become a spring board for refugees coming from
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and other South Asian and Middle Eastern
countries, heading for Australia and New Zealand.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, who
proposed an international conference on refugees, visited
Australia last month to discuss the issue, which has strained
bilateral ties.
Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Wiryono Sastrohandoyo has
urged international bodies such as the UNHCR and the
International Office of Migration (IOM) to play an active role in
resolving the problem of asylum seekers.