News Focus: Indonesia ready to reextend Sri Lankan illegals` stay permit
By By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is reported to have no objection to extending the stay permit of 78 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants on board the Australia-flagged "Oceanic Viking" anchored in waters near Cempedak island in Bintan district, Riau Islands province.
Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesman for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, when contacted by phone here on Friday, said the process of negotiations with Australia on the 78 illegal immigrants whose stay permit had already been extended twice were still underway.
He said the ministry had received word from the Austrlian government that negotiations were taking place with the illegals on their transfer to an immigration detention house already prepared for them in Tanjung Pinang in Riau Islands province.
"There is an indication the the Sri Lankan illegal immigrants who initially steadfastly refused to be moved from the Oceanic Viking are beginning to soften their stand , but this has to be verified," he said.
According to Faizasyah, the illegals should undergo a process of verification to be conducted by officials of the tax and excise agency and the immigration office on board the Oceanic Viking with the aim of facilitating their transfer from the ship to the immigration detention house.
"If they disembark from the ship voluntarily , we will be able to facilitate them in line with the existing international procedures," he said.
The Indonesian government was still waiting for further news on developments from Australia`s relevant agencies and there was no plan to set a deadline. "If their stay permit has expired, they can apply for another extension," he said.
Commenting on the possible extension of the illegals` stay permit for the third time, Dr Sofyan Siregar, a political analyst who is also a roving lecturer at the North Sumatra Islamic University in Medan on Friday said the extension was to be done, it was actually an expression of the Indonesian government`s understanding of the problems confronting the Australian government.
Earlier, Sofyan said, Australia, in particular, should repatriate those Sri Lankan illegals , just like what the neighboring country often did against Indonesian fishermen caught red handed poaching in their waters.
This policy seemed to be an unpopular solution, but it was an effective way to prevent future illegal immigrants from entering the territories of Indonesia as well as Australia illegally in the future, he said.
Australia should give the same treatment to the illegals from other countries. "The immigrants have already been on board the Oceanic Viking for a long time, so just send them back to their country with a full of guarantee from the Sri Lankan government for their security and safety," he said.
"But what has made us feel offended is that at the time when the Sri Lankan illegal immigrants entered Australian waters, Canberra burdened Indonesia by sending the illegals to Bintan district on the pretext of cooperation," Sofyan said.
"Why does Australia not deport those illegals to Sri Lanka as what that country often did in the past against Indonesian fishermen," he said, adding that if not, Australia could send them to Christmas Island of that country, but not to an Indonesian island.
The regional government of Riau Islands was reported to have rejected the Sri Lankan immigrants. "Although the foreign ministry has extended their stay permit, we remain firm in rejecting them," Governor of Riau Islands Ismeth Abdullah said on Sunday.
However, he said, the regional government would accept the permit if they stayed only aboard the Oceanic Viking ship which thrown anchor in waters near Cempedak island, Bintan District, Riau Islands.
"If they just stay aboard the ship, it`s OK. The Sri Lankan immigrants actually also refuse to leave the ship," the governor said.
Abdullah said that the regional government would reject the Sri Lankan immigrants if they left their ship to stay in Tanjungpinang of Riau Islands province.
The Indonesian government has extended by one week the stay permit of 78 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants on board an Australian-flagged ship in Bintan district`s waters, Riau Islands province, foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said last Friday.
The government`s gesture on the Sri Lankan immigrants who are seeking asylum in Australia was a reflection of its understanding of the problem being faced by the Australian government in relation with the Sri Lankan refugees, Faizasyah said.
In addition, Faizasyah also called on the local people, regional administration and related authorities in Bintan island to be patient concerning the presence of illegal immigrants in their territory.
Authorities from the Australian immigration office, last week, met with a delegation from Indonesia`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the fate of the 78 Sri Lankan immigrants.
The forum, Faizasyah added, also talked about ways to tackle such problems in the future since Indonesia is always made as transit country for the immigrants wanting to go to Australia.
In the meantime, from Sydney it was reported by AFP that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would not reveal how the government would end the Oceanic Viking asylum-seeker stand-off but was confident a solution would be found.
Australia had been trying for almost two weeks to persuade 78 Sri Lankans to voluntarily leave the Australian customs vessel and be moved to r the Tanjung Pinang Detention Center on the Indonesian island of Bintan.
But the ethnic Tamils have refused and remained adamant on being taken to Australia even though the ship rescued them in international waters within Indonesia`s search and rescue zone.
The Indonesian government was only helping to deal with the illegal immigrants based on humanitarian considerations and to maintain good relations with Australia, Sujatmiko, the Indonesian foreign ministry`s director for diplomatic security, said in Tanjungpinang.
"But if these illegal immigrants are rejected (by Australia), the Indonesian government cannot do much," he said.
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PubDate: 11/13/09 20:28
