PEOPLE smuggling and human trafficking will be “more thoroughly criminalised” across the Asia Pacific region as Australia struggles to deal with the latest influx of asylum seekers.

Australian foreign minister Bob Carr announced after a meeting of the Bali Process ministerial conference that the 37 nations at the meeting had agreed to put in place “more effective law enforcement” across the

region to attack the “vile trade”.

“That means these nations are committed to more effective control at airports and more effective border protection, seeing that this is defined as a law enforcement issue with the full weight of the laws of these nations coming down to bear on the people smugglers,” Mr Carr said.

Indonesia has only outlawed people smuggling in recent years as Australia has tried to prevent people flocking to its shores, and it has prosecuted a number of people under the laws, which have a maximum

penalty of 15 years imprisonment.