SOUTH-EAST ASIA / OCEANIA: 43 Countries Agree On Battle Against Human Trafficking

Foreign ministers of 43 countries have agreed on a regional framework to fight human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region.The framework was a significant step even though it was non-binding, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, because it took into consideration the interests of the victims' countries of origin, transit and destination, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported."This will allow a more effective channel for interested parties to work together to combat people-trafficking networks in the region," said Mr Natalegawa, who co-chaired the Bali Process meeting with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd.One billion people in the world is involved in some form of migration, with 41 million being forcibly moved and 15.9 million being displaced, said Mr Rudd.The Bali Process, a framework resulting from a human trafficking conference nine years ago, calls for greater cooperation between Indonesia and Australia to fight human smuggling, including both countries sharing intelligence, the paper said.Australia is a popular destination for illegal migrants from conflict-ridden countries, who usually use Indonesia as a transit point before entering Australia by boat.