Against a complex landscape of border security and migration, we turn our focus to three RSO alumni who are leaders in their fields. The RSO Alumni Network promotes peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and leadership development, connecting those working in law enforcement, and border and immigration who have taken part in RSO training activities to share expertise and exchange information with international counterparts.
Hear more from these professionals who, shaped by diverse experiences, contribute to cross-border efforts to counter trafficking in persons, people smuggling, and transnational crime in the Bali Process region.
Anissa Yaneke Fyrgie is an Immigration Officer at Juanda International Airport under the Directorate General of Immigration, Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Indonesia. She has worked in the field since 2017, and has participated in The Bali Process Regional Training Workshop on Border Management by Air—organized by the RSO together with the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) As one of the first cohort of the RSO Alumni Network, read more about her commitment to border security and professional development.
As an immigration officer, I often operate in situations that require a focused and quick response to a range of issues. The RSO training courses I’ve attended covered the practical skills I need to do this, as well as diverse global issues that are relevant to my job such as border control management or border control security.
Border security is very complicated. I’ve learned that it’s not just about being able to verify travel documents or security risks—it is about being able to assess the activity of the human being who arrives at the border, hoping to come into the country. Many things need to be considered—everything from the individual’s gestures, facial expressions, and ways of communicating. All the techniques I’ve learned from RSO activities, especially around interviewing methods, have been useful in helping me identify potential victims of trafficking or smuggling and make practical, informed decisions at the border.
Global issues like people smuggling and human trafficking require international collaboration. That’s why I want to connect with international counterparts across immigration agencies. Meeting colleagues from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore has been valuable.
Mr. Jumari works on the frontlines of countering people smuggling as an Immigration Analyst in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. He has participated in the RSO’s training workshop for frontline officials on screening and referring vulnerable migrants, held in Banda Aceh in July 2023, and has also presented a Return to Work Action Plan on how to handle cases of refugees coming in to Banda Aceh.
I gained critical knowledge and skills that really support my day-to-day work as a result of attending RSO trainings. For example, I learned important ideas and practical knowledge around professionalism when dealing with the refugees from abroad—I learned how to be more victim-centered in my line of work as an immigration analyst.
Most of all, I’ve learned the value of sharing my learnings with colleagues. If I can share my knowledge with others, then the impact will be more significant.
In Indonesia, there are a lot of people who want to get work or better pay outside of Indonesia, often in Malaysia. But unfortunately, most of them go there illegally without proper legal documents. So, we must deal with that, especially when issuing passports. We have to remember to remain professional and think about the migrant and their needs, and whether they are at risk for exploitation—we want to make sure that they are able to go there to do a good job, not to be used or exploited through smuggling.
We would like to involve other agencies across Indonesia and other countries to strengthen cross-border efforts. For example, regarding people smuggling for workers to Malaysia, we need coordination with other agencies in Indonesia such as the Department of Workers and airport staff, as well as our Malaysian counterparts. So, we can intercept the activities of people smuggling collaboratively—if we want to have a significant impact, we can’t work alone.
Captain Lasantha Vithanage is Captain of the Operation Department, Northern Naval Command of the Sri Lanka Navy. He commanded a Sri Lankan Coast Guard Ship, Suraksha, on a secondment basis and has worked in Maritime Law Enforcement.
In Sri Lanka, people smuggling—especially people smuggling by sea—is a common phenomenon. Though we are coming in to contact and handling smuggling cases daily, our formal understanding about the issue can be lacking. So, I found that this knowledge gap needed to be filled. Furthermore, I found that formal procedures for cooperation around people smuggling were also missing, and that we needed to establish concrete procedures for coordinating to manage the issue more effectively.
After having a better theoretical and practical understanding of people smuggling through RSO training activities, I arranged several training classes of my own to train coast guard personnel in Sri Lanka on practical cooperation and coordination around issues of people smuggling.
I have now led more than 30 training classes for coast guard personnel, where we’ve had some important discussions around how to handle cases of maritime people smuggling in a more professional, coordinated, and effective manner.
In attending RSO trainings and learning more about the Bali Process, I’ve realised that the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard cannot handle issues of people smuggling alone. I believe we need enhanced cooperation and information sharing across borders—and I believe that the RSO is in a unique position to support us in this endeavor.
