East Nusa Tenggara Police, Australia Boost Cross-Border Crackdown on Human Trafficking and People Smuggling

Inp.polri.go.id - Kupang. he East Nusa Tenggara Regional Police and the Australian Embassy are strengthening joint action against human trafficking and people smuggling along Indonesia’s border areas connected to Timor Leste.

The meeting in Kupang was attended by Deputy Chief of East Nusa Tenggara Police Brigadier General Baskoro Tri Prabowo and Australian Deputy Ambassador Gita Kamath. 

“Joint coordination led to a seven-fold increase in human trafficking enforcement compared to last year,” said East Nusa Tenggaral Head of Public Relations Senior Superintendent  Henry Novika Chandra said on Wednesday (26/11/2025), as reported by antaranews.com.

He noted that the partnership must address long-term issues, including refugees stranded for up to 12 years, community security risks, and violence involving migrants. He emphasized that humanitarian concerns must be balanced with local safety.

Ambassador Kamath confirmed continued cooperation, including joint field monitoring in vulnerable border locations across Rote, Kupang, and areas near Timor Leste.

 (mg/inp/pr/rs)