Discourse: ‘New visa policy potentially lures more boat people’

Indonesia will relax its visa policy this year for four countries known as sources of illegal immigrants bound for Australia. Immigrants from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are expected to enjoy easier entry starting at the beginning of the year, while those from Pakistan and Afghanistan will still have to wait. The Jakarta Post’s Nani Afrida recently interviewed Bambang Irawan, the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s director general of immigration, on the new policy.

Question: Will the new policy increase the use of Indonesia as a transit point for people smugglers bound for Australia?

Answer: There’s the potential for the new policy to lure more boat people heading to Australia. We will see what the progress is in the future and evaluate. Visa applications will be processed by our embassies in those countries. Economic and security factors will be taken into account. The Tourism [and Creative Economy] Ministry, for example, may have an interest in increasing the number of tourists from those two countries, but we should also be aware of security problems resulting from their entry. This is a regional issue that will need cooperation between the transit and destination countries eyed by the people smugglers.

The Foreign Ministry has an interest in forging better relations with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The security situation in those countries is conducive. But there are 213 Sri Lankans in our detention facilities. They came into Indonesia legally but then they sought asylum-seeker status with representatives of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees [UNHCR]. This is the kind of problem that we want to avoid. We have also suggested that the UNHCR coordinate with us when someone comes to them asking for a recommendation to become a refugee or asylum seeker. We have around 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia, much higher than recorded by the UNHCR.

Do you think Australia will be severely impacted by the policy as more people from troubled countries will come to Indonesia by legal means and then cross into Australia?

I can not say whether the decision will impact Australia. We don’t have data, and we have yet to put in place the policy. But we already have sufficient regulations to prevent people smuggling.

The decision to ease entries has been decided by a team consisting of the police, the National Intelligence Agency, the Foreign Ministry, and many more. There have been so many aspects taken into consideration.

Indonesia is not among the countries signing the 1951 [UN] Convention on Refugees. We are also not a destination for refugees.

The UNHCR has a mandate to assist them because Indonesia is a UN member. Taking care of refugees is also related to human rights. It is a long story when we talk about illegal immigrants, because this also happens in other parts of the world.

We should know about their situations and why they decided to leave. Based on our data, they head to Australia. To get there, they have to pass our country. However, many of these refuges are also stuck in neighboring countries.

How does immigration handle people smuggling?

We’re not involved in helping to accommodate people-smuggling rings, such as by cooperating with boat owners who will transport these illegal migrants to Australia.

Those who are caught crossing are not all from our detention centers. Some of them come here legally and even live in luxurious, five-star surroundings before trying to cross over.

Who funds their stay here?

We are not funding their accommodation and food while they await placement in countries willing to accept them. The IOM [International Organization for Migration] is taking care of them once they receive a recommendation from the UNHCR.

If their status remains unclear, the government has to finance their return to their home countries. We have sufficient funds for this, for example, if they arrive here legally but overstay because they don’t have any money for airplane tickets.

The UNHCR and the IOM are financing their daily needs here if they come here seeking refugee or asylum status. But they have to wait for a very long time before the UNHCR manages to get a country willing to accept them. This uncertainty has driven them to desperation, causing many of them to cross by unreliable boats to Australia. There is just no certainty over the length of their stay here and the timing of their departure to the host countries. We have to accept their stay here, otherwise the international community will condemn us.

The Foreign Ministry said it would provide visas-on-arrival (VOA) if the citizens of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh behave. Is there a potential for abuse?

A team will do some evaluation first before granting the [VOA] facility. There have been cases of abuse. For example, people from Iran used the facilities to smuggle drugs. This has caused many problems. It is not easy to get the VOA facility.