Up to 1,663 illegal immigrants are known to have entered Indonesia in the past two years, Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said yesterday.

The minister, quoted by the state Antara news agency, told Parliament it remained unclear where 704 had come from, but that 514 were from Afghanistan, 57 from Iran, 355 from Iraq, 11 from Palestine, 20 from Pakistan and two from Vietnam.

The tide of illegal immigrants, mainly from Middle Eastern countries and frequently bound for Australia, has become a major headache for Indonesia and its neighbour. People-traffickers have been using Indonesia as a transit point, with asylum seekers boarding boats in the vast archipelago and then setting sail for Australia.

Mr Mahendra, whose department oversees the immigration authority, said the immigrants had sneaked into Indonesia by boat. Their countries of origin refused to recognise them because most did not carry passports. Often, the illegal immigrants could not afford to keep themselves or pay for their passage home and became a burden on the Government, he said.

Mr Mahendra said existing facilities could no longer cope and the Government was planning to establish nine new detention centres in anticipation of more arrivals.