MISERABLE LIFE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN "UNWANTED COUNTRY" by Fardah

        Jakarta, Sept 15, 2010 (ANTARA) - Just one day after Nasir (24), an Iranian illegal immigrant, died of serious depression in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT), Rahiq (28), another Iranian immigrant, was beaten by a mob for trying to escape from a detention center also in Kupang, on August 24.
        Nasir had been detained at the Kupang immigration detention center since last June after being arrested with 40 other illegal immigrants on Sumba Isle, NTT, during their attempt to reach "the New World" of Australia, located south of Indonesia.

        Perhaps, Rahiq was a little bit lucky as he was still alive although seriously wounded after being manhandled by a number of Kupang residents when he ran away from the Kupang detention center.
        The mob had beaten him after desperate Kupang immigration officers, who tried to rearrest him, shouted "thief" at the running away Iranian, who has been in the detention since last July.
        Those are few miseries told from illegal immigrants using Indonesia as a transit country in their attempt to reach Australia in order to find a better life than their war-torn countries, especially Afghanistan and Iraq.
        Depression and desperation are common among illegal immigrants being stuck in Indonesia, the country that they have no intention to live in.
       Last August 27, the Pekanbaru immigration office in Riau Province, had returned 30 foreign immigrants to their countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, as they had become very depressed and some had even tried to commit suicide.

Their repatriation was arranged in cooperation with the International Organization of Migration (IMO), Yanizur, head of the Pekanbaru immigration detention center, said in Pekanbaru, Wednesday (Sept. 15).

"They wanted to go home, so they were not deported, as many of them were depressed because their fate in Indonesia had become so uncertain," he said.

The 30 immigrants being sent home, comprised 22 Iraqi and 8 Afghan people.

Yanizur said one of the Iraqi immigrants had tried to kill himself because his flight was delayed.

Most of the immigrants in the Pekanbaru immigration detention center are in a state of depression as their fate in Indonesia had become uncertain.

"Indonesia is just a transit country for immigrants wanting to ask for asylums in Australia," he said.

The fact that the Pekanbaru immigration detention center had become overcrowded, had also made them depressed.

The center which was reportedly built with the financial assistance from Australia, is now holding 86 foreign nationals.

One room, which maximally can accommodate four people, is filled with six. As the detention center`s capacity is not enough to accommodate them all, four office rooms have been vacated to accommodate a number of the illegal immigrants.

"We have to vacate four of our office rooms on the first floor of the detention center accommodate the excess number of inmates," Yanizur, said.

The four office rooms are being used especially to accommodate children, elderly people, and couples who are relatively easier to control, Yanizur said.

The first of the four office rooms held 11 Afghans of the same family, the second room three children and their father; the third room a couple (husband and wife), and the fourth elderly people. .

"We treat them humanely because they are actually asylum seekers who could no longer live in their country because of a protracted war," Yanizur said.

Abdul Hameed, an Afghan refugee who at that time was being detained in Serang, Banten Province, Java Island, along with this three children - Ummed (10), Naveed (8) and Siweeta (8)- said he and his family wanted to go to Australia, which shares marine border with Indonesia.

"We have been in Indonesia for 15 days. We plan to go to Australia," Abdul Hamid said in Serang, recently.

However, the Banten authorities planned to move 51 Afghan refugees, including Hameed and his three children, from Serang, Banten Province, Java Island, to Pekanbaru`s immigration detention center, Riau Province, Sumatra Island.

Abdul Hameed said life in Afghanistan had become unbearable due to the prolonged war between the US allies and the Taliban.

Hameed left his country with his father, mother, two brothers and three children. His wife had died in Afghanistan.

"I cannot live peacefully in Afghanistan. I have sold all my properties to leave Afghanistan," Hameed said in broken English.

Indonesia has become a `transit country` for refugees from war-hit countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as Iran, wanting to settle in Australia.

Stuck in Indonesia, most of them have to live in the country for four to six years, and they cannot work, go to school, or settle down. ***3***

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(T.F001/A/F001/F001) 15-09-2010 18:26:01