Southeast Asian cooperation cuts immigrant flow: Australia

Southeast Asian cooperation cuts immigrant flow: Australia

Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Cooperation by Southeast Asian countries has cut the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Australia, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said on Tuesday.

"We have been able to work with the countries in the region, to the extent that since December last year we have been able to manage the situation with no unauthorized boat arrivals," he told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's East Asia summit here.

"It has been a substantial change from where we were 12 months ago," he said.

Malaysia and Indonesia had been identified in the past as hubs for illegal immigrants trying to reach Australia by boat.

Ruddock said the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States reinforced the need to detain people who enter Australia illegally and Canberra would not shift its policy despite criticism from rights activists.

Australia has a tough policy under which illegal immigrants are locked up in detention centers while their claims for asylum are examined.

"It reinforces the government's view that we were right to be able to detain people who came without lawful entry," he said.

Security was a key concern for Australia, hence those who entered Australia illegally required tough vetting.

"It is to ensure we do not expose ourselves to potential security or even potential criminal activities from people who access Australia.

"If people arrive in Australia without lawful authority, we do need to know who they are, we do need to know whether they pose risk. One of the reasons why we detain people who arrive without lawful authority is to enable us to check those issues," he said.

Ruddock said another reason for the action was to ensure Australia's asylum program was not abused and to maintain "our role as a generous settler of refugees."

"We want to ensure that we are able to assist those who are in the most vulnerable situation, who are in need for resettlement outcomes, knowing very few countries provides those opportunities," he said.

Ruddock said Australia was third to the U.S. and Canada in terms of resettlement programs.

On a lighter note, Ruddock said he was flattered with the announcement by a refugee family that it had named their new-born baby after him.

Baby Philip Ruddock was born to Iraqi asylum seekers in Port Moresby General Hospital a few weeks ago.

He was the third child of the couple, who remain in detention on the Papua New Guinean island of Manus, but have been granted refugee status.