... they are determined to go to Australia to seek political asylum... "Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The Kupang immigration office in East Nusa Tenggara said it has detained 304 new illegal immigrants from Middle East on their way to Australia.
The illegal immigrants tried to use a number of places in East Nusa Tenggara as a transit before crossing the sea to Australia, head of the Kupang immigration office Silvester Sili Laba said.
"East Nusa Tenggara is an ideal place for illegal immigrants from other countries to Australia," Sili said.
He said illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Iran Iraq, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, India, Egypt, and Myanmar had been known trying to hide in small islands in East Nusa Tenggara, before they found fishing boats to be hired to carry them to Australia.
Now, however, the navy and police have intensified patrol in the sea around the islands giving little room for illegal immigrants to escape detection.
Illegal immigrants were then forced to hide in other places in coastal villages in Java , Silvester said. Many illegal immigrants on their way to Australia, have been nabbed in Java.
Sili said many of the 304 illegal immigrants had been arrested before. "Apparently they are determined to go to Australia to seek political asylum," he said.
In 2012, the Kupang immigration office detained 414 illegal immigrants from Middle East all wanting to go to Australia.
"More than 100 illegal immigrants arrested in 2011 are still held at the Kupang detention center as they refused to be sent back to their countries," Silvester said.
There are also illegal immigrants from Myanmar following the conflict in that country, he said.
(AS/H-YH)
(T.SYS/B/H-ASG/B/H-YH) 09-01-2013 21:08:59
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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