"What Australia is currently doing, is clearly against and denying all principles of comprehensive handling while dealing with asylum seekers," Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa stated here on Thursday.
"Australia acts as though it can just pass the problem to its neighbor," he added.
Marty emphasized that the problem was not merely bilateral, but also regional and even global.
In view of that, all countries need to communicate with all partners in various regions to resolve the problem in a comprehensive manner.
"By comprehensive manner, it means involving the countries of origin, transit, and destination," he explained.
Last year, during a conference on asylum seekers initiated by Australia and Indonesia in Jakarta, the Jakarta Declaration was issued, which outlined a number of concrete steps to overcome the problems linked to asylum seekers.
The countries participating in the conference had committed to continue coordinating and making joint efforts to cover prevention, early detection, protection, and law enforcement, in order to handle illegal movement in the region, including human smuggling and trafficking as well as asylum seekers.
"Australia has denied the principles. The Australian government has taken a hands-off policy as if it is not its problem but that of Indonesia. This is obviously unacceptable," he emphasized.
"It must be understood that I had informed Australia that a boat from Indonesia has been able to sail up to continuous zone Australia is not because it has been facilitated by Indonesia or as a result of negotiation with Indonesia," he remarked.
Marty noted that Indonesia has continuously taken efforts to prevent any immigrant from entering Australia.
But, if some were able to pass through, they must be managed well by Australia, in accordance with its responsibility based on the convention on protection of refugees, he pointed out.
"Australia cannot just turn them back towards Indonesia. Indonesia also will always prioritize prevention and early detection," he added.
Marty stated that the issue of violation of human values by Australia in handling asylum seekers will be raised during the bilateral meetings between Indonesia and other countries.
"What we want is that the problem of asylum seekers should be handled well and with justice," he noted.
Reporting by Yuni Arisandy
(Y012/H-YH/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
