Indonesia promises asylum clampdown

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia has agreed to tighten its laws and expand detention centers for would-be asylum seekers, the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said.

Speaking in Jakarta after meetings with senior government officials, he said the measures were being taken to tackle the growing problem of people smugglers using Indonesia as a transit point for refugees headed for Australia.

He added that Australia would help fund the expansion of existing detention centers.

"We warmly welcome this and we are, where it's appropriate, willing to provide assistance to them in strengthening the capacity of their existing detention centers," Downer was quoted by the Australian Briadcasting Corp.

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Indonesian officials had earlier turned down a request that they open a special camp for the growing number of asylum seekers caught headed for Australian shores and using Indonesia as a springboard.

Downer, who is in the Indonesian capital with Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock and Defence Minister Peter Reith, said he was pleased with the results of talks so far and was looking forward to more discussions next week.

Refugee crisis

The Australian ministerial team flew to Jakarta this week in the wake of the diplomatic storm caused by the recent Christmas Island refugee crisis.

The case involved 433 mostly Afghan asylum seekers who were denied entry to Australian territory after they were rescued from their sinking ferry by a Norwegian container ship.

As a result they were forced to spend several days living in makeshift accommodation on the ship's deck while diplomats fought over who should take them in.

The Australian stance sparked a row with Norway and Indonesia as well as criticism from the United Nations and human right groups who accused Canberra of shirking its humanitarian responsibilities.

The case was eventually resolved when New Zealand and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru agreed to take in the boat people whilst their asylum applications were processed.

At the time Australian Prime Minister John Howard accused Indonesia of turning a blind eye to the people traffickers, many of whom are thought to earn millions of dollars transiting asylum seekers through Indonesia and into Australia's remote north.

The Christmas Island refugees are currently aboard an Australian troop carrier, headed for Papua New Guinea where they will be divided into two groups before being flown on to the processing centers in New Zealand and Nauru.