Kupang, NTT, April 8 (Antara Babel) - A total of 50 illegal immigrants from the Middle East in Rote Island will be evacuated to East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial city of Kupang to prevent their illegal entry into Australia.
"They are part of 79 other illegal immigrants who were stranded in the Indonesia's southernmost island of Rote and some of them were evacuated to Kupang on Sunday and the rest would follow," Kupang Immigration Office Chief Silvester Sili Laba said here on Monday.
He explained that the illegal immigrants would be accommodated at the Immigration Office detention house, although it is now already overcapacity.
"It is a new problem for us because the number of detention houses for the illegal immigrant was limited while the number of the illegal immigrant continues to increase," Sili Laba said.
According to him, the illegal immigrants from the Middle East who were stranded at Rote Island were nabbed by the local police when they attempted to cross to Australia.
He noted that the illegal immigrants frequently tried to cross to Australia from Rote Island because of its proximity to the continent.
According to him, it usually takes about five hours by a fishing boat from Rote to Ashmore Reef in Australian territory.
"The target of the illegal immigrants is Ashmore Reef before they are herded into Australian mainland by the country's patrol police," he said.
He added that it was difficult to deport the illegal immigrants from the Middle East to their country of origin because the security condition there was not conducive for them to lead a better life and to build a better future.
"Because of that they tried to seek political asylum in Australia by hiring fishing boats from Rote to cross them to Ashmore Reef in Australian territory," Sili Laba said.
