Indonesia Returns 30 Depressed Illegal Immigrants to Iraq

Pekanbaru, Indonesia (News Today) - The Pekanbaru immigration office has 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 here Wednesday.

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

The 30 immigrants comprising 22 Iraqi and 8 Afghan people, were sent back home last August 27. 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 was now holding 86 foreign nationals.

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

Source : kompas

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