RI, Oz push fight against human trafficking

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Nusa Dua   |  Thu, 12/11/2008 10:48 AM  |  National

Australia and Indonesia renewed their commitment Wednesday to cooperate in combating human trafficking as the transnational crime becomes an increasing problem for the neighboring countries.

Both nations agreed on strengthening cooperation during a bilateral meeting between Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Bali Democracy Forum which the two leaders co-chair.

"The president and I agree to deepen cooperation at the operational level in the field and to deal with people smuggling in the future. This is an important matter for Australia and Indonesia," Rudd told a joint press conference after the meeting.

"Australian national security officers will be working closely with their Indonesian counterparts on extending the cooperation to a broader level."

Rudd said Australia also welcomed the decision of the Indonesian government to extradite Hadi Ahmadi, an Iranian national allegedly involved in people smuggling, from Indonesia to Australia.

Yudhoyono said that Hadi would be extradited to Australia in the near future, adding that the Indonesian court and related agencies were currently finalizing documents for the extradition.

"We have also agreed to implement the Lombok Treaty to tackle this transnational crime in the future, especially at the operational level," Yudhoyono said.

"We expect that the implementation of the treaty will accelerate our efforts and make them more effective."

Indonesia is in the process of ratifying the UN Convention against Transnational Crimes, which will provide a legal basis for concerted efforts against human trade, Yudhoyono said.

The convention encompasses two protocols. The first is to prevent, suppress and punish human traffickers and the second deals with migration through smuggling over land, sea and air.

Yudhoyono said the issue of people smuggling would not affect the bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia, saying the two countries would always work together to address the problem.

Indonesia has long served as a transit point for people escaping war-torn and poor Asian nations in the hope of a new life in Australia.

Indonesia is currently investigating reports that Indonesian diplomats in Kabul have been selling visas to Afghanis intending to illegally enter Australia via Indonesia.

The visas were sold at $1,500 each, Afghan people living in Australia told The Australian newspaper.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda denied the report, saying there was no evidence of the practice.

"It is not true, they *Indonesian diplomats* do not sell visas to the Afghan people. No official is allowed to issue a visa without approval from the ambassador," Hassan told reporters.

"The report lacks evidence. It is a baseless allegation, but we continue investigating the case regardless."

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