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Team stops search, one remains missing
A search and rescue team ended its search Monday for the last of 36 Afghan immigrants whose boat capsized recently in Riau waters
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A search and rescue team ended its search Monday for the last of 36 Afghan immigrants whose boat capsized recently in Riau waters.
Rokan Hilir Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Rohamt Nur Said stressed there was a "very small" chance of finding the last immigrant, Azis, alive after the five-day mission, which saw 16 immigrants rescued and 19 bodies recovered.
He added Azis's body would likely have been eaten, or decayed and sunk, citing the advanced stage of decay the 19 other bodies were in when they were found.
"I've instructed police personnel to stop the search on Monday afternoon, whether or not the last victim is found," he told The Jakarta Post.
He added the police would still help evacuate the body, if found, even if the mission had officially been stopped.
The SAR team found the body of immigrant Muhammad Ali on Sunday morning in Panipahan waters, Pasir Limau Kapas district, as well as the bodies of Ahmad, Muhammad Zan and Jhon Ali in three separate locations on Saturday, Rohmat said.
The team had earlier in the week, on Thursday and Friday, found 15 bodies.
They were identified as Damurda Guljari, 34, Ali, 26, Damurda, 42, Mirza Husin, 45, Zafuri, 28, Nikmatullah, Ayas, Ajimalistani, Saewas, Khaliq, Khanif, Husein, Muhammad Hasin, Daud Malistani and Ahmad Riza.
All of those drowned have been buried in Islamic tradition by members of the Indonesian Ulema Council's (MUI) Rokan Hilir branch, witnessed by representatives of the Riau Immigration Office, local administrations and other related institutions.
The 16 survivors were identified as Abd Hamid, 34, Ali Khan, 28, Ali Muhammad, 27, Gulam Yahya, 24, M. Naim, 40, Jawad, 35, Fazel, 35, Abbas, 30, Musa, 35, M. Gofur, 30, Abdullah, 15, Mehdi, 17, M. Husein, 25, Azis, 35, Abdul Latief, 17, and Ismatullah, 20.
They are now being at the Bagan Siapiapi Immigration Office as they "are illegal immigrants", said immigration office head Ashari Adnan.
The Afghanistan Embassy has requested a list of their identities and is waiting for asylum approval from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry's representative office in Riau, he said.
Rohmat said investigations had shown the immigrants had been paid from US$2,000 to $2,500 to fly from Afghanistan to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and another $500 to cross to Indonesia to reach the UNHCR office in Jakarta.
He added the police had not yet named any suspects in the capsizing of the boat or the smuggling of the immigrants into Indonesia.
Bagan Siapiapi Navy post commander Second Lt. Al Muhfid said the survivors had reported there had been four brown-skinned crew members on board.
The crew members managed to jump out of the boat when it began to sink, Muhfid said, quoting survivors. "Most of the passengers were sleeping when the boat hit a fish trap pole," he said.
"Some of the immigrants who were awake at the time saw the crew members jump out into the sea, taking empty jerry cans and basically not being concerned about the passengers' safety.
"The crew members most likely managed to survive and run away because none of the victims found, dead or alive, were brown-skinned," Muhfid added.
He alleged the crew members were Indonesians, using a local boat to transport the immigrants, as Malaysian vessels would not dare enter Indonesia with illegal immigrants on board.
