http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/jakarta-to-pass-laws-criminalising-people-smuggling/story-fn59niix-1225961724151
Jakarta to pass laws criminalising people-smuggling Peter Alford, Jakarta correspondent From: The Australian November 27, 2010 12:00AM A LAW criminalising people-smuggling should pass the Indonesian parliament next month. It will close the biggest legal loophole for gangs trafficking asylum-seekers into Australian territory. The legislation creates a criminal offence of people-smuggling, imposing a minimum five-year jail term, with a 15-year maximum, tougher than the promise of up to five years that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made to the Australian parliament in March. News of the new legislation came as authorities intercepted the 122nd and 123rd asylum-seeker vessels to arrive in Australian waters this year. The boats were picked up south of Ashmore Island and their 68 passengers took the total this year to 5930. Indonesian police now can lay charges only under a general provision of the Immigration Law, carrying a maximum five years' imprisonment that is never applied to people-smugglers, or the Navigation Law. Notorious Indonesian operator Abraham Louhenapessy, known as Captain Bram, was convicted on navigation offences but freed in March with a suspended sentence and Rp25 million ($2790) fine. He had been caught by the Indonesian navy, after a direct request by then prime minister Kevin Rudd to Dr Yudhoyono, to halt a vessel with 250 Tamils that was destined for Christmas Island. His release made a mockery of claims by the Howard government of a breakthrough in Indonesia-Australia co-operation against people-smuggling when Louhenapessy was sentenced to two years in 2007 under the Immigration Act. The new anti-smuggling provision, contained in a bill overhauling the Immigration Law, still allows for a fine instead of a jail term, which Australian officials would prefer to be dropped. But the minimum fine increases 20-fold to Rp500m with a maximum Rp1.5 billion - closer to a real economic deterrent for smugglers at the Indonesian end of networks extending back to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East. ADDITIONAL REPORTING: LANAI VASEK Related Coverage a.. 100th boat under Labor's watch The Australian, 4 Oct 2010 b.. New hope for SBY people-smuggling laws The Australian, 30 Jul 2010 c.. Smugglers shipped east for court date The Australian, 10 Jun 2010 d.. People-smuggling captain to get his vessel back The Australian, 16 Apr 2010 e.. People-smuggler evades prison sentence The Australian, 24 Mar 2010 . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
