Indonesian anti-terrorism training centre to help stop trafficking in asylum-seekers

Foreign Minister Bob Carr is attending talks in Bali on halting people-smuggling. Source: AP

AN Australian-sponsored law enforcement centre in Indonesia has been co-opted into the regional campaign against people-smuggling and human trafficking.

Established 10 years ago by Australia and Indonesia, principally as a counter-terrorism police training facility, the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation will now train regional forces to counter people-smugglers and traffickers.
The move was announced today by Foreign Minister Bob Carr at the Bali Process regional ministerial meeting on people-smuggling and human trafficking.
“Tapping into the expertise of JCLEC will assist Bali Process members to strengthen efforts in the region to address both people-smuggling and trafficking in persons,” Senator Carr told the meeting.
“Providing our policymakers and practitioners with the tools for criminalising people-smuggling and human trafficking is also vital if we are to successfully prosecute these crimes.”
JCLEC was established in 2004 as a regional police training facility attached to Indonesia's national police academy.
Financed by Australia to the tune of $36.8 million for its first five years, JCLEC continues to be funded and staffed through the Australian Federal Police.
The announcement came as Canberra said another fishing boat carrying 65 asylum-seekers had been intercepted on Sunday night, northeast of Christmas Island.
That brought to 272 the number of irregular arrivals in Australian waters since Saturday. More than 2100 boat passengers landed during March.
As the Bali ministerial meeting went behind closed doors today, there was no indication of any initiatives that would immediately address Australia's attempt to halt the flood of asylum-seekers. Already this year, 3700 people have arrived by boat.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who is jointly chairing the meeting with Senator Carr, indicated the main thrust of this year's program was strengthening regional law enforcement cooperation.
Mr Natalegawa today suggested members could set up a regional hotline so the public could inform on suspected traffickers and smugglers.
The 45 nations in the process cover most of the countries of origin, transit and destination for people-smugglers and human trafficking in Asia and the Middle East.
Senator Carr said there were more than 9.5 million Asia-Pacific “persons of concern” to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and an estimated 700,000 people were being trafficked annually in the region.
Irregular migration movements in the region had reached unprecedented levels last year.
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indonesian-anti-terrorism-training-centre-to-help-stop-trafficking-in-asylum-seekers/story-fn59niix-1226610958930