Indonesia Police Say Australia Wreck was Not A Crime

(News Today) - Indonesian police said Friday there was no criminal element to the boat wreck which claimed 30 lives off Australia’s Christmas Island this week, despite suspicions of people smuggling.

Foreign ministry officials meanwhile made their first comment on Wednesday’s disaster, saying they were awaiting information from the Australian government, which says three Indonesian crew were among the 42 survivors.

Up to 100 Iraqi, Kurdish and Iranian asylum seekers were on board when the wooden Indonesian fishing boat drifted into jagged limestone cliffs in violent seas and broke apart. Christmas Island is closer to Indonesia’s Java island than it is to the Australian mainland and hosts a processing facility for asylum seekers, making it the main target for Indonesian people smugglers.

But Indonesian police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said the accident was not Indonesia’s concern. “The accident occurred in Australian territory, so it’s not the responsibility of Indonesia to investigate. That was a disaster, not a crime,” he told AFP.

He added however that Indonesia had contacted Interpol for “data on the people on board”. “So far we have not heard if there were any Indonesians on board,” he said. Australia has provided funds and expertise to help Indonesia crack down on the people smuggling networks that send desperate migrants to Australia in rickety boats.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised to get tough with the smugglers during a visit to Australia earlier this year, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard raised the issue when she visited Jakarta last month. But Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said Indonesia had no comment on the latest loss of life involving asylum seekers in the waters between Java and the Australian mainland.

“We have no comment. This is an ongoing situation and we are yet to have the full details,” he said. Australia on Friday said there was little hope of finding more survivors.

Canberra has not indicated where it believes the vessel came from, saying the accident is still being investigated. More than 5,000 asylum seekers from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have traveled to Australia this year, mostly on unseaworthy vessels from Indonesia.

Source : kompas

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