Australia and Indonesia discuss refugee processing
JAKARTA. July 14. KAZINFORM Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is on his way to Indonesia for talks about plans for a regional refugee processing centre; Kazinform refers to BBC News.
Australia has proposed setting up an asylum seekers' centre in East Timor.
But Indonesia has expressed concern that this could attract more refugees to Indonesian waters, and East Timor has not agreed to the plan.
Australia wants to deter asylum seekers, many from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, from sailing to Australia.
Many of them have been caught in Indonesian waters, and Indonesian authorities have pointed out that Indonesian West Timor and independent East Timor share a porous land border.
The Australian foreign minister will meet with his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta.
Mr Smith told Australian media that a regional processing centre would encourage asylum seekers to focus on one destination in the region.
Official figures show that about 2,982 asylum-seekers were intercepted on their way to Australia this year until 19 May; Kazinform cites BBC. See www.news.bbc.co.uk for full version.