NTT govt bemoans of deportation problem

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: East Nusa Tenggara was receiving an increasing number of Indonesians deported from Australia, which was a financial burden on the provincial administration, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Kirenius Tallo, the chief of the disaster mitigation section of the NTT Social Affairs Office, said since January this year, the government had received 150 Indonesians deported from Australia, including many deported for illegal fishing in Australian waters.

The administration had to pay for the deportees' food and accommodation while they were in government shelters in Kupang, and for transport to homes nationwide, Kirenius said.

NTT is the Indonesian province closest to Australia. -- Antara