REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Mardani, a legislator from the Justice and Prosperous Party (PKS) considered Australia's turning back boats policy as unilateral action.

"Such a unilateral approach will make Australia be isolated by its neighboring countries," Mardani said here on Tuesday in response to the recent action taken by the Australian Navy, which forced illegal immigrants from Africa and the Middle East to turn back to Indonesia.

Before the wiretapping case that escalated the tension between Indonesia and Australia, the two neighboring countries made coordination in dealing with immigration issues, he said.

But now without the cooperation of Indonesia, Australia unilaterally forced the immigrants to head to Indonesian waters.