“I welcome the strong cooperation we have with Indonesia on people smuggling, including Indonesia’s law enforcement effort against people smuggling syndicates,” said Ms. Gillard.
The Indonesian President and Prime Minister Julia Gillard met in Darwin to discuss the issue. They see people smuggling as those boats loaded with people going to Australia and usually coming from Indonesia.
“In the field of preventing or combating people-smuggling and also human trafficking we have agreed to enhance greater cooperation. Indonesia is also a victim of the acts of illegal people smuggling. We hope that we can prevent, as far as possible, the act of people-smuggling in our region,” said Yudhoyono.
A related incident to people smuggling is the death of about 90 people accommodated in 2 asylum-seeker boats. The boats capsized along Australian territory of Christmas Island.
In the first sinking, about 110 people were saved while 90 drowned. In the other incident, four were lost with 130 people saved.
Some underage Indonesian nationals who have been jailed in Australia as crew of the asylum seeking boats were released and welcomed by their president.
“They are also victims of acts of people-smuggling and no doubt we hope that the release of the remaining underage seafarers can be accelerated,” said Yudhoyono.
“I believe problems which once threatened to divide us now only bring us closer together,” said the Prime Minister.
Even with the booming tourism industry of Indonesia, particularly in Bali, and the very popular Bali villas, Bali villas resort, and Bali luxury villas, it is a positive move for the Indonesian President to still tackle and address the issue on human smuggling.
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