Algerian man decides to swim to Australia after tourist visa expires

An Algerian man, Abdul Rahman decided to take a plunge into the ocean, with Australia as his destination, after his tourist visa expired in East Timor. The 31-year-old Algerian ran out of money during his stay in Dili, the capital of East Timor, where he has been living on a tourist visa since December 2019. After Abdul's tourist visa expired he decided to swim across the ocean to reach Australia. The journey would have required Rahman to swim 570 kilometre to reach Australia.

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A failed journey from East Timor to Australia

While taking the decision, Abdul obviously never took the unpredictable currents and weather into consideration, which hindered his journey forward. According to media reports, Abdul was rescued by fishermen floating in the seas of Kletek, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia on January 11. Abdul had become extremely weak by the time he reached the shore and he was taken to the local hospital immediately. 

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Media reports stated that Abdul was taken to the immigration office in Atambua after he was rescued. According to reports, Abdul is not the only person who was trying to reach Australia by water. There are thousands of desperate immigrants who try to go to Australia illegally with Indonesia as their transit point. Media reports suggest that majority of the migrants who try to reach Australia illegally come from Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iran. 

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According to a study by Antje Missbach, Department of Anthropology at Monash University in Melbourne, more than 50,000 people made their way to Australia illegally via Indonesia with the help of Indonesian transporters. The study collected data from 2009 to mid-2013. According to media reports, people-smuggling has risen rapidly over the last ten years after steady growth in the number of asylum seekers and immigrants reaching by boat. 

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