ID :
56224
Sun, 04/19/2009 - 10:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/56224
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News Focus: RI, AUSTRALIA INTENSIFYING EFFORTS TO COMBAT PEOPLE SMUGGLING
By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, April 18 (ANTARA) - People smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes have been seen as big nuisance for Australia and Indonesia, as the cases indirectly reflect a loose security of their waters territory and land.
It is for the purpose of preventing their territory from possible infiltration of people from other countries who are seeking for a better economy in that Kangaroo country, the government of Australia through the Bali Regional Ministerial Meeting Conference (BRMC) III felt necessary to intensify cooperation with Indonesia often made a transit point by smugglers.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith earlier this week held bilateral talks in Bali to discuss the best way to do in minimizing the movement of illegal people smuggling, human trafficking and transnational crimes.
Since it was held for the first time in 2002, BRMC which is also known as Bali Process has served as an important regional cooperation framework for the prevention and handling of illegal movement of people.
This Third Bali Regional Ministerial Conference (BRMC) or Bali Process III, took up the agenda Tuesday to review and set possible ways out on dehumanizing crimes and illegal immigration.
"The basic idea of Bali Process III is to review what we've already done since the initial Bali Process in 2002, taking stock of current conditions regarding people smuggling and trafficking in persons, as well as charting the future direction of the Bali Process," Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua,
Thousands of ethnic Rohingya fled Myanmar by boat for Malaysia and Thailand in January, escaping alleged persecution by the military junta. Those captured by the Thai military were reportedly towed back out to sea, while those who survived washed up on the shores of Aceh province.
Faizasyah said Indonesia also had its own people smuggling and human trafficking victims. "How many times do we get news about Indonesian workers who turn to prostitution in Malaysia or Hong Kong.?"
Indonesia had long been a transit country for those seeking to make a living in other countries. "Afghans and Iraqis, for instance, are smuggled through Indonesia as a transit point to cross to Australia," he said.
Faizasyah pointed out the Bali Process had so far made some progress.
"Between 2003 and 2008, the conference was specified into working groups, such as a psychology group that handles victims psychologically. And we have also managed to produce policies at the ministerial level," he said.
Although Australia records a small number of human trafficking cases coming from Indonesia, it says that incidence of human smuggling originating from Indonesian ports remains significant.
Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation or obtaining of a person through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, prostitution or slavery. Human smuggling, on the other hand, involves the importation of people into a country via the deliberate evasion of immigration laws.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said that human smuggling is a special problem for his country, which sees a number of unauthorized boats carrying illegal immigrants coming from Indonesian ports.
"The amount of people smuggling from Asia, via and through Indonesia to Australia is significant, but it is smaller compared to, say, to the amount of people smuggling along the coast of Africa into Italy and Spain," he said Tuesday on the sidelines of the launch of a new computer-based training (CBT) center.
The center is located at the Bali Police Headquarters and features 20 new computers equipped with crime training program modules.
Modeled on the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), Debus said the center aims to improve the capacity of the Indonesian National Police to fight against a range of transnational crimes.
"We are very pleased to be able to open a satellite training facility for JCLEC here in Denpasar," he said.
The launch coincided with the Third Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes (Bali Process III), which is co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia in Nusa Dua.
The CBT center will include the human trafficking module, which was released worldwide by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2007.
Australian seriousness to combat human trafficking in the region through a new partnership with Indonesia could be seen from that country's commitment to providing AUD $21 million regional initiative in cooperation with Indonesia's criminal justice system.
The Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said the five-year, AUD $21 million (more than Rp 160 billion) regional initiative would work through Indonesia's criminal justice system to enhance efforts to prevent human trafficking in the region.
"This project will provide technical advice and assistance to judges, legislators and human trafficking police task-forces in Indonesia," Mr Farmer said.
The Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) project was launched in August 2006, initially as a partnership with Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma. Today, Indonesia joins the initiative to assist regional countries to target and prosecute those who support or carry out the trade in people.
The project focuses on strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary to deal effectively with trafficking, while protecting the rights of victims. It seeks to strengthen cooperation between countries on trafficking cases across national borders, and promotes the development of common standards between countries by working closely with regional bodies dealing with trafficking, including the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime.
"Without committed police, prosecutors and judiciary it will never be possible to combat the traffickers or to seek justice for the victims of this terrible crime," Mr Farmer said.***
Jakarta, April 18 (ANTARA) - People smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes have been seen as big nuisance for Australia and Indonesia, as the cases indirectly reflect a loose security of their waters territory and land.
It is for the purpose of preventing their territory from possible infiltration of people from other countries who are seeking for a better economy in that Kangaroo country, the government of Australia through the Bali Regional Ministerial Meeting Conference (BRMC) III felt necessary to intensify cooperation with Indonesia often made a transit point by smugglers.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith earlier this week held bilateral talks in Bali to discuss the best way to do in minimizing the movement of illegal people smuggling, human trafficking and transnational crimes.
Since it was held for the first time in 2002, BRMC which is also known as Bali Process has served as an important regional cooperation framework for the prevention and handling of illegal movement of people.
This Third Bali Regional Ministerial Conference (BRMC) or Bali Process III, took up the agenda Tuesday to review and set possible ways out on dehumanizing crimes and illegal immigration.
"The basic idea of Bali Process III is to review what we've already done since the initial Bali Process in 2002, taking stock of current conditions regarding people smuggling and trafficking in persons, as well as charting the future direction of the Bali Process," Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua,
Thousands of ethnic Rohingya fled Myanmar by boat for Malaysia and Thailand in January, escaping alleged persecution by the military junta. Those captured by the Thai military were reportedly towed back out to sea, while those who survived washed up on the shores of Aceh province.
Faizasyah said Indonesia also had its own people smuggling and human trafficking victims. "How many times do we get news about Indonesian workers who turn to prostitution in Malaysia or Hong Kong.?"
Indonesia had long been a transit country for those seeking to make a living in other countries. "Afghans and Iraqis, for instance, are smuggled through Indonesia as a transit point to cross to Australia," he said.
Faizasyah pointed out the Bali Process had so far made some progress.
"Between 2003 and 2008, the conference was specified into working groups, such as a psychology group that handles victims psychologically. And we have also managed to produce policies at the ministerial level," he said.
Although Australia records a small number of human trafficking cases coming from Indonesia, it says that incidence of human smuggling originating from Indonesian ports remains significant.
Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation or obtaining of a person through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, prostitution or slavery. Human smuggling, on the other hand, involves the importation of people into a country via the deliberate evasion of immigration laws.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said that human smuggling is a special problem for his country, which sees a number of unauthorized boats carrying illegal immigrants coming from Indonesian ports.
"The amount of people smuggling from Asia, via and through Indonesia to Australia is significant, but it is smaller compared to, say, to the amount of people smuggling along the coast of Africa into Italy and Spain," he said Tuesday on the sidelines of the launch of a new computer-based training (CBT) center.
The center is located at the Bali Police Headquarters and features 20 new computers equipped with crime training program modules.
Modeled on the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), Debus said the center aims to improve the capacity of the Indonesian National Police to fight against a range of transnational crimes.
"We are very pleased to be able to open a satellite training facility for JCLEC here in Denpasar," he said.
The launch coincided with the Third Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes (Bali Process III), which is co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia in Nusa Dua.
The CBT center will include the human trafficking module, which was released worldwide by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2007.
Australian seriousness to combat human trafficking in the region through a new partnership with Indonesia could be seen from that country's commitment to providing AUD $21 million regional initiative in cooperation with Indonesia's criminal justice system.
The Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said the five-year, AUD $21 million (more than Rp 160 billion) regional initiative would work through Indonesia's criminal justice system to enhance efforts to prevent human trafficking in the region.
"This project will provide technical advice and assistance to judges, legislators and human trafficking police task-forces in Indonesia," Mr Farmer said.
The Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) project was launched in August 2006, initially as a partnership with Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma. Today, Indonesia joins the initiative to assist regional countries to target and prosecute those who support or carry out the trade in people.
The project focuses on strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary to deal effectively with trafficking, while protecting the rights of victims. It seeks to strengthen cooperation between countries on trafficking cases across national borders, and promotes the development of common standards between countries by working closely with regional bodies dealing with trafficking, including the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime.
"Without committed police, prosecutors and judiciary it will never be possible to combat the traffickers or to seek justice for the victims of this terrible crime," Mr Farmer said.***
