Immigration Prepares Sumba Island to Shelter Immigrants
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Minggu, 9 Februari 2014 15:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Kupang - The Kupang Immigration, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), through the Kupang Immigration Chief, Silvester Sililabahas told Tempo yesterday that they " have prepared Sumba Island to shelter illegal immigrants" if they had been rejected by the Australian government. In fact, the Immigration has cleared 5,000 hectares of land to shelter the immigrants.
The matter that he revealed was related to the deportation of illegal immigrants by Australia to Indonesian waters.
The policy, according to him, was already anticipated by the Immigration since 1980. Whenever Australia deports immigrants to Indonesian waters, Sumba Island can be used to shelter them.
The 5,000-hectare land, he said, is located in Central Sumba. However, the land has not been utilized because local residents are opposing to it. "The problem is whether the local residents are willing to welcome immigrants there. They don't," he said.
In the end, the Immigration’s anticipation is proven by the deportation of illegal immigrations from Australia. "The number of illegal immigration in Indonesia has currently reached approximately of 40,000 people," he said.
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