New Aussie People Smuggling Ambassador Served In KL

MELBOURNE, May 28 (Bernama) -- The Australian Government has appointed a diplomat who has served in Malaysia to be Australia's next ambassador for people smuggling issues. Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Sunday said Craig Chittick would take over from James Larsen, who did the job for two years and is now serving as Senator Carr's principal adviser. "The appointment underlines the government's strong ongoing commitment to regional co-operation to combat people smuggling and trafficking in persons," Senator Carr said in a statement. Indonesian-speaking Chittick was a lead negotiator for the recently concluded Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and has had postings in Malaysia and Indonesia. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his role in Bali in the aftermath of the 2002 bombings. -- BERNAMA