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People smuggler cash: Stacks police say were paid to send asylum seekers on a 'suicide mission'
Sydney Morning Herald - June 16, 2015
"We have given you the evidence," said General Endang Sunjaya, the police chief of Nusa Tenggara Timur province. "It's now up to you and other organisations to demand an answer from the Australian government."
And in a blistering attack, the head of the people smuggling division of Nusa Tenggara Timur province, Ibrahim, said sending 65 asylum seekers back to Indonesia on two boats with just a drum of fuel each was akin to "a suicide mission", asking: "Where is the humanity?"
He said the boat had hit a reef and been stranded off Landu island, and if it had been high tide it would have been too dangerous for the local villagers to rescue the asylum seekers.
In other revelations, the police officers told Fairfax Media the asylum seeker boat was intercepted by the navy warship HMAS Wollongong and an Australian customs boat in international waters.
However, they say the payments to the six crew allegedly made by an Australian official, Agus, took place on Andika near Greenhill Island in the Northern Territory. This could potentially make the payments subject to Australian law.
General Endang said the six crew members had all sworn under oath they received about $US5000 ($A6460) from an Australian official to return to Indonesia. Their accounts were corroborated by asylum seekers who were separately interrogated.
"We believe the payments happened," said General Endang. "They all said the same thing: they were paid by Australian officials to return to Indonesia."
General Endang said the alleged payments could trigger a new kind of crime, where people smuggling syndicates would put fake asylum seekers on a boat in order to extract money from the Australian government.
"The money is now being kept as evidence that this was not a made-up story," said General Endang. "This is very unexpected. If it happened in Indonesia it would constitute a bribe."
General Endang said he had now handed the police investigation report to the National Police headquarters in Jakarta. "It is now up to HQ what to do next. It is out of our jurisdiction."
General Endang showed Fairfax Media the photographs of the cash, but they were provided for publication from another source.
Mr Ibrahim, who interrogated the crew members until 2am on Saturday morning, said the captain, Yohanis Humiang, initially refused to return to Indonesia because the crew would not be paid by a people-smuggling agent until the boat reached New Zealand.
The crew had been told they would be paid between 100 and 150 million rupiah ($A10,000 and $A15,000) when the 65 asylum seekers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka landed in New Zealand.
The revelation sheds light on a possible motivation for the controversial alleged payments by Australia to six people smugglers.
Mr Ibrahim said the Andika had just passed Timor-Leste when it was intercepted. The crew members claimed Andika was blocked in international waters by HMAS Wollongong 92 and an Australian customs ship in a stand-off lasting several hours.
Mr Yohanis, an experienced sailor, said Australian authorities could not arrest them because they were in international waters.
He insisted Andika could make it to New Zealand, a journey he calculated would take 22 days from Pelabuhan Ratu in Indonesia to New Zealand if they travelled at a speed of eight knots. However, Australian officials said they were heading into bad weather and would be in danger if they proceeded.
Eventually the crew agreed to be escorted to Greenhill Island in the Northern Territory, a two-day journey in which the Andika was sandwiched between the two Australian ships.
Mr Ibrahim said it was here, on board the HMAS Wollongong, that the deal was struck. "Yohanis and the crew were insisting on continuing their journey to New Zealand or they wouldn't get paid," he said.
Following negotiations with Agus, the crew reportedly agreed to a $US5000 payment each if they returned to Indonesian, he said.
"The money was given with one condition: they go back to Indonesia, use the money for business and never do that kind of work ever again," Mr Ibrahim said.
He said the crew and Agus also agreed the Australian ships would guide the Andika back to the Java Sea so they could return to Pelabuhan Ratu.
Once the agreement was reached the crew members returned to the Andika, he said, and Agus followed in a speed boat. He handed the crew their money in envelopes on the Andika, he said, an exchange that was witnessed by some of the asylum seekers.
Nazmul Hassan, a Bangladeshi, told Fairfax Media he saw the captain put money in his pocket. Mr Hassan said the crew initially told Australian officials they couldn't go back to Indonesia because they could be jailed for people smuggling.
But he said after the meeting, Yohanis told them: "We have to go back. Australia want to pay for us." "After the meeting, everyone looked happy and they agreed to the proposal," Mr Hassan said.
However, Mr Ibrahim said the Australians reneged on part of their deal and instead of taking the Andika to the Java Sea they went to Ashmore Reef. The asylum seekers were then transferred to the HMAS Wollongong and customs ship for two days.
However, instead of returning them to the Andika, the asylum seekers were then transferred to two wooden boats, Jasmine and Kanak. Each boat was supplied with a drum of fuel (200 litres), limited food and water and a laminated google map of Rote island in Indonesia.
Mr Ibrahim said: "Yohanis protested, 'That was not the deal'; 200 litres isn't sufficient to even reach Rote island. "But Agus said, 'Agreement off, they have to head to Rote island.'"
The two boats were released at the Indonesian border. "The immigrants then fought with the crew. They wanted to continue to New Zealand," Mr Ibrahim said.
Several hours later the Jasmine ran out of fuel. The asylum seekers transferred to the Kanak, which hit a reef near Landu island, in West Rote, where they were rescued by villagers.
Village chief Semuel Messak told Fairfax Media he had asked his wife to cook for the people. "The police officer asked me, 'Will it cost you a lot to feed all these people?' I said, 'It's my money. If I let these people go looking cold and hungry, God will not see me in a good light.'"
Mr Ibrahim is incredulous that a wealthy country such as Australia would push back boats with desperate asylum seekers to Indonesia, a country many considered Third World.
He said Indonesia was doing its bit to fight people smuggling, with those found guilty facing sentences of 15 years' jail.
"We always co-operate with Australia, we process the arrests," he said. "Despite everything, this happens. Why can't Australians deal with [asylum seekers] like they are supposed to?
"They are humans, they have problems with their country. Why can't Australia either deport them or detain them until they are accepted by other countries the way Indonesia does?"
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