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.