Australia and Indonesia are to work together in an effort to combat people smuggling

AUSTRALIA and Indonesia have agreed to better cooperate to combat people smuggling and human trafficking in the region. 
 
In official talks held in Darwin this morning, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussed the importance of a regional approach to tackling people smuggling.
The two leaders addressed the media following the high-level meeting, however they refused to take any questions.
“I welcome the strong cooperation we have with Indonesia on people smuggling, including Indonesia’s law enforcement effort against people smuggling syndicates,” Ms Gillard said at the joint press conference.
Through an interpreter, President Yudhoyono said both countries had agreed to “enhance greater cooperation” in the field of preventing and combating people smuggling, as well as human trafficking.

“Indonesia is also a victim of acts of illegal people smuggling, be it human trafficking or people smuggling,” President Yudhoyono said.
“We hope that we can prevent as far as possible acts of people smuggling in our region, from Indonesia and also Australia, and also, a number of cooperation that we should implement in the near future.”
Ms Gillard held her second leaders' summit with the Indonesian President less than a week after Parliament failed to break a three-sided political deadlock on asylum seeker policy.

That put more pressure on Ms Gillard to get firmer action from Indonesia but the progress was incremental, despite strong expressions of goodwill.

The President said: "Indonesia is also a victim of the acts of illegal people smuggling - be it human trafficking or people smuggling.''

President Yudhoyono thanked Australia for the release of 54 minors who had been among the crew of asylum seeker boats and had been accused of being members of people smuggler gangs.

He pointed to unrest at home over their imprisonment, said they, too, were victims of syndicates, and warned that agitation over their fates "no doubt will will not be beneficial for Indonesia nor Australia''.

There was further commitment to extradition treaties between the two countries which will be discussed at further talks in Sydney in September.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed further use of what is called the Bali Process, a group of regional neighbours who together discus co-operation of the massive refugee numbers reaching the area, most on their way to Australia.
The Indonesians were interested in economic issues where there was significant movement, including an agreement that Australia was ready to lend $1 billion to ensure Indonesian economic stability.

President Yudhoyono said the aim was to boost investment in Indonesia by $15 billion by 2015.

The number of working holiday visas available to Indonesians will be increased from 100 to 1000 a year, and ties between Indonesian and Australian universities will be expanded.
Ms Gillard, who described today’s talks as “broad-ranging and productive”, said Indonesia was a “close friend and neighbour” and one of Australia’s “most significant partners”.
“We are living in this Asian century of remarkable transformation and change and in this time of change Australia very much welcomes the transformation that has taken place within Indonesia itself,” the PM said.
“It’s now a strong and vibrant democracy, an economy that’s growing rapidly, and a leader in the region and beyond.”