Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Australia have been urged to deport the 78 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants on board the Australia-flagged "Oceanic Viking" anchoring in waters near Cempedak island in Bintan district, Riau Islands province, to their country.

Indonesia and Australia had to do this unpopular solution to prevent future illegal immigrants from entering their respective territories illegally in the future, Dr Sofyan Siregar, a political analyst who is also a roving lecturer at the North Sumatra Islamic University, said in an emailed message on Monday.

Commenting on the extension of the illegals` stay permit, Sofyan said it was actually an expression of the Indonesian government`s understanding of the problems confronting the Australian government.

As a matter of fact, Australia in particular, should repatriate those Sri Lankan illegals to their country, just like what that neighboring country often did against Indonesian fishermen caught red handed poaching in their waters.

Australia should do such equal treatment against illegals from other countries. "The immigrants have already been on board the Oceanic Viking, so just bring them again 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 their waters territory, Australia gave more burden to 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 who were now still aboard an Australian-flagged ship anchored in Riau waters.

"Although the foreign ministry has extended their stay permit, we remain firm to reject 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 laid anchor in the waters of Pulau 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 and stayed 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.

"The extension was granted in the hope the Australian government can find a better solution to the problem the illegal immigrants pose," said Faizasyah.

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.

On Tuesday (Nov 3), authorities from the Australian immigration office 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 Minister Kevin Rudd would not reveal how the government would end the Oceanic Viking asylum-seeker stand-off but was confident a solution was inevitable.

Australia had been trying for almost two weeks to persuade 78 Sri Lankans to voluntarily leave the Australian customs vessel and enter the Tanjung Pinang Detention Centre on the Indonesian island of Bintan.

But the ethnic Tamils have refused, adamant they want to be taken to Australia even though the ship rescued them in international waters within Indonesia`s search and rescue zone.

Security clearance for the Australian ship was to have expired on Friday night but Indonesian authorities have said it can stay until November 13.

Rudd on Saturday said the government had dealt with 86 separate interruptions of people-smuggling ventures into Australia in the past 12 months.

"Some take longer than others," Rudd said adding: "This one presents its own complications - we`ll work our way through that as we have all the others."

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. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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