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Bali a transit point for illegal immigrants
Being a popular international tourist destination, Bali has become a favored transit point for illegal immigrants heading to Australia and other destinations
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eing a popular international tourist destination, Bali has become a favored transit point for illegal immigrants heading to Australia and other destinations.
'The tiny island of Bali is now facing the problem of illegal immigrants, mostly from the Middle East, involved in human trafficking,' noted Governor Made Mangku Pastika during the opening of the sixth Summer Institute in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Sanur on Monday morning.
Last May, Bali's water police directorate, apprehended a boat near Benoa harbor and arrested 95 illegal immigrants, many of whom were women and children, on their way to Australia.
In the last few years, Bali Police have foiled the attempts of many illegal immigrants heading to Australia. The majority of these came from Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries.
A large number of immigrants also come to Bali disguised as tourists, spending spend some time on the island before leaving for Australia by boat.
'Although they create social problems in Bali, we cannot treat them as criminals. They need legal and human rights protection. We have to treat them properly,' Pastika noted.
The arrival of illegal immigrants has added to the population problems on the already crowded island. 'We have seen a flood of migrant workers coming to Bali from places across Indonesia. Now, we have to deal with so many illegal
immigrants,' the governor stated.
Bali has a population of 4.2 million, a significant increase of 400,000 people in the four years since 2008, when the island's population was 3.6 million.
Due to rapid economic development, people from Java, Sumatra, West and East Nusa Tenggara, Ambon and other places in Indonesia have come to Bali to find employment.
'Not to mention the large number of expatriates who are pursuing jobs and business opportunities in Bali,' said Pastika, adding that in 2015 when the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement was enacted, more professionals from ASEAN member countries would also flow to Bali.
'The topic of this year's Summer Institute is relevant to the problems we are facing now,' said Pastika.
Marzuki Darusman, director of the Human Rights Resource Center, admitted that Bali was very close to Australia, making it a perfect transit site for illegal immigrants.
