The Third Bali Regional Ministerial Conference (BRMC) or Bali Process III, took up the agenda Tuesday to review and set possible ways out on dehumanizing crimes and illegal immigration.
“The basic idea of Bali Process III is to review what we’ve already done since the initial Bali Process in 2002, taking stock of current conditions regarding people smuggling and trafficking in persons, as well as charting the future direction of the Bali Process,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the conference at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua on Tuesday.
“We won’t have specific issues to converse further, yet we will do it in a bigger frame. For example, there are the illegal immigration cases, such as of the Rohingya, Afghan and even Sri Lankan refugees.”
Thousands of ethnic Rohingya fled Myanmar by boat for Malaysia and Thailand in January, escaping alleged persecution by the military junta. Those captured by the Thai military were reportedly towed back out to sea, while those who survived washed up on the shores of Aceh province.
Faizasyah said Indonesia also had its own people smuggling and human trafficking victims.
“How many times do we get news about Indonesian workers who turn to prostitution in Malaysia or Hong Kong?” he said.
He added Indonesia had long been a transit country for those seeking to make a living in other countries.
“Afghans and Iraqis, for instance, are smuggled through here to Australia,” he said.
Faizasyah pointed out the Bali Process had so far made some progress.
“Between 2003 and 2008, the conference was specified into working groups, such as a psychology group that handles victims psychologically. And we have also managed to produce policies at the ministerial level,” he said.
Despite the progress, co-hosts Indonesia and Australia stated that circumstances that drove people-smuggling and trafficking activities in the region had expanded to some extent since Bali Process II in 2003.
Australian delegation head Senator Chris Evans said in a statement the Bali Process had been successful in creating a cooperative environment that allowed governments to work together at both the political and operational level to prevent and intercept people-smuggling and trafficking activities.
“Recent boat arrivals to Australia and other countries in our region demonstrate that we are not immune from the conflict and insecurity that drives irregular movement. People smugglers remain active and willing to exploit the displaced and vulnerable,” he said.
