Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Four illegal migrants from Afghanistan had been transported to Makassar`s detention house in South Sulawesi Province on Wednesday for further questioning.

The Afghan men, identified as Babai Ali (48), Azer Husain Mohebbi (45), Ali Reza (18), and Wali Khan Khan (28), were arrested in the Central Sulawesi city of Palu last week.
But they were then flown to Makassar from Palu, escorted by two Indonesian policemen and an International Organization for Migration (IOM) officer.

According to Head of Palu city`s immigration detention center Yusul Sadu, they would be handled by related authorities because they were refugees, who wanted to seek for asylum status in Australia.

The outcomes of local immigration investigators` questioning, the four Afghans were truly refugees who wanted to apply for the asylum seeker status to the Australian government, he said.

They were the holders of UNHCR recommendation letters but two of which had been expired, he said.

These Afghans were caught on Sunday shortly after leaving the Batavia Air plane that flew them from Jakarta to Palu last week because they had no legal travel documents with valid visa.

The immigration authorities would shelter them at Makassar city`s detention center as long as they had yet to receive the Australian government`s permits, he said.

If the Australian government refused their asylum seeker`s status, they would have immediately been deported to Afghanistan, Sadu said.

Over the past decade, Indonesia has frequently been used as a transit point by foreign asylum seekers on their way to Australia.

The Indonesian police have repeatedly foiled the attempts of illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka to sail to Australia.

In their efforts to go to Australia, they pay people smugglers who then ask locals to transport them by wooden boats.

The Australian government has consistently categorized the people smuggling activities as a global and regional problem.

The UNHCR 2008 Global Trends report said that there were 42 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide at the end of 2008, including 15.2 million refugees.

For both passengers and crew members of the captured boats, they are transported to the Australian Immigration`s detention center on Christmas Island to undergo security, identity and health checks as well as their reasons for travel established.

The Indonesian Consulate in Perth noted that there were a number of Indonesians among the captains and crew members of the boats bringing asylum seekers to Australia.(*)

Editor: Heru
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