Indonesia should be stricter with Australia on illegal immigrant issue

Indonesia, under the rule of new President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, should be more firm in dealing with Australia on the illegal immigrant issue, stated Mexasai Indra, a political observer from Riau University.

"We must maintain our sovereignty at the global level," Indra emphasized.

According to him, the Australian government had been unfair in its approach to handling illegal immigrants who were seeking entry into its territory through Indonesia. Indra stated that Indonesia had been largely perceived as a bumper country for illegal immigrants during the past.

Indra also urged President Jokowi to gauge the negative impacts of the presence of illegal immigrants in Indonesia such as the social conflicts erupting between the immigrants and the local people.

"We need to consider the economic and political benefits of the presence of illegal immigrants here in Indonesia. What can be seen now is that they have become a burden on us," Indra pointed out.

Indonesia has since long been a transit country for illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran before they enter Australia. These immigrants have been occupying detention centers in some areas in Indonesia, including in Pekanbaru (Riau province) and Medan (North Sumatra), among several others.

There are 356 illegal immigrants in the Pekanbaru detention center, 291 of which hail from Afghanistan.

According to Chief of the Immigration Office in Pekanbaru Amran Aris, most of the immigrants in the Pekanbaru detention center came from the Bogor district of West Java. They earlier resided in Bogor, but then the local government banned them from living there after receiving public complaints.

Source : Antara