T

he East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial administration has opposed a plan to build a shelter for illegal immigrants arriving in East Sumba regency after being rejected by Australia, insisting that Indonesia is not a final destination.

 The NTT National Unity and Political Agency head Sisilia Sona said the government and people of NTT objected to the plan because Indonesia was only a transit place for migrants, disclosing that in 2014 alone, around 450 immigrants from the Middle East wished to cross to Australia from the province.

'€œAs the detention center is already full, we eventually housed them at Hotel Boi, with expenses covered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] and International Organization for Migrants [IOM],'€ said Sisilia on Monday.

She added that the illegal migrants had arrived in NTT in the wake of tighter patrols and surveillance by Australian authorities. They were then stranded in several coastal areas of NTT, such as Rote, Sabu, Sumba and Sikka.

Based on the current reports, Sisilia said, there were around 70,000 illegal immigrants in Malaysia. Most of them are likely to make for Indonesia since the UNHCR and IOM no longer operate in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, police would give heavy sanctions, including dismissals, if any officers were found to be involved in the syndicate that sends asylum seekers to Australia, an official said. '€œI ensure you that none of my men are involved. Let'€™s be professional. If any of them are involved, they should be reported to us so we can take firm action,'€ Rote Ndao Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hidayat told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

According to Hidayat, police had captured the captain and crewmembers of a boat carrying 65 migrants that got stranded off Landu Island, Rote Ndao. They were being held at the Rote Ndao Police station, he said, along with two crewmembers apprehended earlier.

The skipper and five crewmembers have been identified as Yohanes Himiang and Medi Ampaow, Marthen Karaeng, Yapi Aponao, Indra Romambi and Steven Ivan Worotitijan.

The men claimed they had been given A$5,000 by the Australian Navy to sail back to Indonesia and never return.

Hidayat said the traffickers would be charged with violating Law No. 6/2011 on immigration and Law No. 17/2008 on shipping, and could face prison sentences of between five and 10 years.

He added that he had handled five similar cases in his three years and five months of duty in Rote Ndao, with perpetrators being given sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

'€œThis is the sixth case I'€™ve handled and we'€™ve gained international spotlight. We'€™re just working professionally,'€ said Hidayat.
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'€œI ensure you that none of my men are involved. Let'€™s be professional. If any of them are involved, they should be reported to us so we can take firm action.'€