International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2014, 4(11): 1092-1099 † Corresponding author ISSN(e): 2224-4441/ISSN(p): 2226-5139 © 2014 AESS Publications. All Rights Reserved. 1092 PEOPLE SMUGGLING IN INDONESIA Rizkan Zulyadi 1† --- Geetha Subramaniam 2 --- Tan Kamello 3 1, 3 Faculty of Law, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia 2 Faculty of Business Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia ABSTRACT This article investigates the practice of people smuggling in Indonesia. Located in the center of international traffic, Indonesia has become a strategic place for this business. Besides, the absence of laws regulating this smuggling activity as well as the lack of coordination among institutions of the government has been a huge obstacle for resolving this problem. People smuggling may occur due to many factors, one of which is the encouraging factors that cause the immigrants to leave their country. Several actions that have been taken were merely based on the Immigration Law and the punishments were only given to the wrongdoers, while those asking to be smuggled escaped the law. © 2014 AESS Publications. All Rights Reserved. Keywords: People, Smuggling, Illegal, Migration, Law, Indonesia. Contribution/ Originality This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the “vacuum of law” governing people smuggling in Indonesia. By discussing the triggering factors of people smuggling in the country, the paper highlights the need for specific laws to mitigate the issue of people smuggling in Indonesia. 1. INTRODUCTION Indonesia has been facing a huge problem related to human smuggling. The crowded traffic of goods, services, and human in this archipelagic country is now appearing to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, its strategic position is beneficial for Indonesia’s growth and development. On the other hand, in terms of people smuggling, the same strategic position has made the country one of the strategic spots within the international chains of people smuggling business. In extreme cases, Indonesia is even considered to be the most promising market for this business. International Journal of Asian Social Science ISSN(e): 2224-4441/ISSN(p): 2226-5139 journal homepage: http://www.aessweb.com/journals/5007