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Bali Process to draft emergency response mechanism for people smuggling, trafficking
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Newly arrived Rohingya migrants take a shower at their temporary shelter in Bayeun, Aceh province, on May 21, 2015. (AP/Binsar Bakkara)
T
he 2016 Bali Process on people smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes to be held on Mar. 22-23 in Bali will produce a new document detailing an emergency response mechanism for people smuggling and human trafficking in the region, an official said on Thursday.
Foreign Ministry director of international security and disarmament Andi Rahmiyanto said that the drafting of the declaration was in response to the humanitarian crisis that occurred in May-June last year where a sudden influx of irregular migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were stranded in the Andaman Sea.
Though many of the migrants were able to be rescued and sheltered in Indonesia, Andi admitted that the government and the region were not prepared with an adequate response at the time.
"There are concrete steps that we will propose during the meeting, but they still need to be thoroughly discussed with participating countries," he said. "Participants at the Bali Process will discuss the drafting of a mechanism for emergency responses to people smuggling and illegal trafficking in the region."
Of the 47 member countries and three international organizations that have been invited, over half have confirmed their attendance at the regional meeting that will be co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia.
Indonesia has long been a transit point for asylum seekers aiming for Australia.
Andi said that the Indonesian government had prepared a number of recommendations, including a call for the strengthening of the authority of the steering group, which consisted of Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"We want, for example with the case last year, for at least the steering group to be able to meet on an on-call basis to hold an emergency meeting in the face of a crisis," he added.
Alternatively, Andi suggested, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management could be given more authority to handle humanitarian crises in addition to responding to natural disasters.
He said that the document produced in Bali would also be submitted to the high-level refugee summit at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, an initiative of US President Barack Obama.
In addition to discussing regional issues, Andi said there would be several delegates attending from Europe, including ministerial and other high-level officials, including from The Netherlands and Poland. The conference will also be an opportunity to exchange information on migrant issues between the two regions, he added.
A senior officials meeting on the first day of the conference will be chaired by director general for multilateral affairs Hasan Kleib while the ministerial meeting on the second day will be co-chaired by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
The sixth Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons, and Related Transnational Crime (BRMC), or commonly referred to as the Bali Process, was initiated by Indonesia and has been running since 2002.
