F

ive Australians who illegally entered Indonesian territory through an airport in Merauke, Papua, in September last year have been banned from leaving the province until a Supreme Court verdict has been handed down.

Head of Merauke Prosecutors' Office, Sudiro Husodo, said the ban was issued by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) on April 2.

"The five *Australians* are therefore not allowed to leave Merauke until the ban is lifted," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The ban, he said, was proposed by his office in March following a verdict by the Papua High Court that acquitted the five Australians from all charges.

They were arrested after landing at Mopah Airport in Merauke without visas, flight approval or security clearance. Later they were identified as Henry Scoot Bloxam (pilot), Vera Scoot Bloxam, Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Rowald Mortimer.

The twin-piston P-68 aircraft they arrived in, registered as VH-PFP, was seized by the state.

On Jan. 15, the Merauke District Court sentenced pilot Henry Scott Bloxam to five years in prison and fined him Rp 50 million (US$4,500) for violating Articles 13 (2) and 58 of Law No. 15/1992 on aviation.

Failure to pay the fine would have resulted in an additional three months in prison.

The four passengers were each sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rp 25 million (or and additional two months in prison) for violating Articles 6 and 53 of Law No. 9/1992 on immigration.

They appealed the convictions and the high court overturned the ruling in March.

At the time defense lawyer Efrem Fangoihoy said the high court accepted their appeal because there was evidence indicating the air crew had received verbal clearance to land.

He said even though no prior written consent was granted for the aircraftto enter Indonesian airspace, the government could only deport them as illegal entrants, not hold them in detention.

The ban, Sudiro claimed, was proposed at almost the same time the appeal was filed to the Supreme Court.