'Boat Diplomacy' May Worsen Indonesia-Australia Relation  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia regrets  Canberra's rejection of  boat people seeking asylum on Australian shores. Marshall Agus R. Barnas, Deputy Minister for the Coordination of  Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said that according to the 1951 United Nations Immigration Convention on Asylum Seekers, the destination country must accept the refugees.

He said the Australian government could later hand over the matter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR).

"It seems Australia [is trying] to get rid of illegal immigrants. It’s unethical," Agus said yesterday.

According to Agus, this "boat diplomacy" could worsen relations between Indonesia and Australia. But Agus said his Ministry will not comment on Australia's attitude, saying that the Foreign Ministry was the one which should represent Indonesia's stand on the issue.

Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin stated that the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) will increase its patrols and security at borders areas, especially on the waters off  southern Java. This was a response to the Australian military's turning back the refugee boats to Indonesia.

"On normal days, there is one patrol shift, sometime two," he said yesterday.

INDRA WIJAYA | TRI ARTINING P | FRANSISCO R