T

he recent sinking of yet another boat filled with asylum seekers in Indonesian waters on their way to Australia reminds us of how far people are willing to go for a better life. Most of the more than 100 passengers on the vessel survived, but at least five are feared to have drowned.

Last month, 20 people drowned when an overcrowded tugboat carrying over 200 asylum seekers, mostly from Iran, Iraq and Sri Lanka, sank off West Java. The survivors were fortunate. More than 1,000 people en route to Australia have perished at sea since 2007. It is almost certain in the most recent mishaps that the boats did not meet the minimum safety standards.

Many asylum seekers have succeeded. Australia, the main destination in the region for those termed '€œirregular maritime arrivals'€, reported that more than 15,000 have reached its shores since the beginning of this year. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last month closed Australia'€™s doors to new arrivals of boat people. Those who make it from now on are being sent to Papua New Guinea for processing. There are already indications that this tough new policy may be reducing the departures of Middle Eastern and Asian asylum seekers from Indonesia.

Asylum seekers attempting to get to Australia generally use Indonesia as a transit point, usually arriving legitimately by air and then hiring a boat to set sail from one of the archipelago'€™s many islands.

Boats transporting the asylum seekers are breaching the border policies of both the transit and destination countries. Many operators also neglect the safety of their passengers, sailing while overloaded in dangerous sea and weather conditions. Some vessels have
deliberately sunk to receive emergency assistance from naval patrol boats or any other passing ships.

To reduce the incidence of people smuggling, Indonesia must strengthen the implementation of security and safety aspects of vessels and ports, as stipulated in Chapter XI-2 of the International Convention for the Safety of Lives at Sea. So far, 303 port facilities and 1,403 Indonesian-flagged vessels have been covered under this chapter.

Ship owners and operators must also be made aware of the risks involved, and of the need to comply with all regulations in regards to the safety and security of their vessels. They should refuse to cooperate with illegal acts of transporting asylum seekers.

Furthermore, they should be registered under Indonesia'€™s new national Non-Convention Vessel Standard (NCVS) for ships sailing in local waters. These reforms should create a safer domestic shipping industry and discourage criminal elements.

Since most vessels carrying asylum seekers arrive and depart not from major harbors or ports but rather from shores on any one of Indonesia'€™s islands, empowering coastal communities could help with early detection and could also act as a deterrent. Existing national initiatives for the monitoring, control and surveillance of maritime areas '€” such as the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program (COREMAP), Coastal Community Surveillance in Fisheries (SISWASMAS), and Coastal Community Management Program (BINPOTMAR) '€” can be expanded to include observation and reporting on boats suspected of conducting illegal entry or departure from unmarked locations. Under such programs, our coastal communities become essential elements of maritime intelligence. They
become our eyes, ears and also protectors.

At the regional level, the challenge for the governments of Australia, Indonesia and other countries burdened by human trafficking activities is to transform people smuggling from a being a '€œhigh profit, low risk'€ business undertaking into a '€œlow profit, high risk'€ one.

Dealing with the unceasing flow of asylum seekers is not a problem for one country alone to solve. There must be a concerted effort involving the countries of origin, transit and destination to clamp down on the illegal businesses of people smuggling. Greater cooperation and coordination of resources are among the keys to keeping ahead of changing dynamics to stop the perpetrators.

In 2002, Indonesia and Australia took the initiative to launch the Bali Process Regional Ministerial Conference as a multilateral effort to fight people smuggling. In recent talks with Kevin Rudd in Bogor, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reconfirmed that '€œall sides must shoulder the responsibility and take concrete action'€. The recent fatal boat incidents are a reminder that we still have some way to go. One possible way of moving forward is by addressing the security aspects of regional maritime cooperation.

The writers are members of the national Non-Convention Vessel Standards (NCVS) team. The views expressed are personal.