Australia, July 1, 2009 – Indonesian authorities warned that Australia is the most likely destination for 10,000 of its refugees. According to reports, about 1,500 asylum seekers from Malaysia recently arrived in Indonesia by boat this year. Said refugees are using Malaysia as a staging point before they seek passage to Australia via Indonesia.

The refugees are believed to come from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and Iraq. The Indonesian and Australian governments are working together on filtering the massive influx. A strike team of 12 dedicated police personnel have been put together to combat any attempts of using the humanitarian status for human trafficking.

The number of asylum seekers is expected to put pressure on the new security measures. However, according to an Australian immigration enforcement official, the volume is similar to the thousands handled in the late 1990s.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has 49,000 registered refugees in its records in Malaysia.

Source:
watoday.com.au