BATAM IMMIGRATION HANDLED 140 AFGHAN MIGRANTS IN 2009

Batam, June 18 (ANTARA) - The Batam immigration office has up to the middle of this year handled at least 140 illegal Afghan migrants who entered the island through small ports.

"The number of illegal Afghan migrants who entered Batam has continued to increase and up to the middle of this year, the immigration has handled about 140 persons," Batam Immigrtion chief for supervision Yudi Kurniadi said here on Thursday.

He said that most of the illegal migrants had fled and avoided conflict in their and sought asylum in other countries.

"Since the outbreak of the Taliban conflict in that country the number of illegal Afghan migrants has continued to increase," he said.

Chief of Batam Immigration office Dirman Sukardi said earlier that Indonesia had become a transit point for illegal migrants in their efforts to find a third country. "Generally, the seek for asylum in Australia," he added.

He said that the reason for the illegal immigrants to choose Indonesia as a transit point because they considered that Indonesia was close to Australia.

"They want to go to Christmas Island, and Indonesia is considered near to Australia," he said.

In the meantime, the authorities in Bengkulu province are detaining 46 Afghan migrants.
The 46 illegal Afghan migrants, who were in the custody of the local immigration office, were on a hunger strike early this week to pressure the Australian embassy to send a representative to meet them.

"We will refuse to take food or drink until a representative of the Australian government comes to see and listen to us," said one of the aliens, named Fauziah, in fluent English, on Monday.

She said being given an opportunity to live in Australia was the only hope they had to carry on with their lives.

They were also doing the hunger strike to in solidarity with their countrymen who were still living in danger-filled conditions in their war-torn country.