RI envoy to meet illegal workers

RI envoy to meet illegal workers

CANBERRA: Indonesian officials will fly to the remote
territory of Christmas Island on Thursday to meet 15 Indonesian
job-seekers who arrived illegally in Australia last week, the
government said Wednesday.

Indonesian diplomat Mukhlis Yunus will interview the nine
women and six men and - if able to confirm their nationalities -
help them return home, the Indonesian Embassy in Australia said
in a statement.

The Australian navy discovered the 15 on March 4 on Ashmore
Reef, 610 kilometers north of the Western Australian coastal city
of Broome. All held either Indonesian passports or other
Indonesian identity documents.

The navy took them to Christmas Island, which lies just south
of Indonesia.

They told officials they'd paid a people smuggler the
equivalent of US$750 each to be transported to Australia to work
as fruit pickers.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Indonesia had been very
helpful with the matter. -- AP