Sixty-eight illegal immigrants alleged to be from Afghanistan were found stranded at Raijua Island, Sabu Raijua regency, in East Nusa Tenggara province, on Tuesday.
The immigrants reportedly landed on the island after their boat was hit by strong waves.
The chartered boat was heading to Australia when it encountered 4-meter-high waves and strong winds, preventing it from continuing its journey.
Acting Sabu Raijua Regent Thobias Uly said he had received the report regarding the illegal immigrants who were stranded in Kolorae subdistrict, Raijua Island.
“The report said their boat,
which departed from Makassar [South Sulawesi] was hit by the waves while heading to Australia,” Thobias said over the phone Wednesday.
He said his administration had coordinated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the provincial police for further handling of the illegal immigrants.
Thobias also said that all the illegal immigrants were male.
They were currently being detained at the police headquarters in Raijua while waiting for an evacuation to Kupang by the provincial police.
“The police are still after the ship’s captain and crews allegedly are still hiding somewhere around Raijua Island,” Thobias said.
The police previously detained 55 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Turkey in the same region on Jan. 13, 2010.
However, 41 of them later were able to escape from the police’s detention allegedly with the help of a police officer, with the initials L.A.
Adj. Sr. Comr. L.A., who was alleged to have been involved in an illegal immigrant mafia, allegedly helped the immigrants escape from the detention by renting a boat for them for Rp 50 million (US$5,376) to take them to Australia.
Last year the police foiled the smuggling of 500 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and a number of other countries, who were heading to Australia through the East Nusa Tenggara waters.
The chartered boat was heading to Australia when it encountered 4-meter-high
waves and strong winds, preventing it from continuing its journey.
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