TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Indonesia says Australia forced back asylum seekers

Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Fri, November 27, 2015

Share This Article

Change Size

Indonesia says Australia forced back asylum seekers Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April. (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via AP) (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via AP)

T

span class="inline inline-center">Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April. (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via AP)

Australian officials destroyed a boat carrying asylum seekers and then pushed them back to sea in another vessel, Indonesia said Friday.

Foreign Office chief of multilateral affairs Hasan Kleib expressed concern that Australia took the action on its own.

"We are concerned when some countries like Australia, rather than informing us or working with us, take unilateral action and push back boats," he said.

Sixteen migrants from India, Nepal and Bangladesh and their Indonesian skipper were found stranded in Indonesia's part of Timor Island on Thursday.

The skipper, who is being questioned by police, said he was paid 22 million rupiah (US$1,600) to transport the migrants from Pelabuhan Ratu on the southwest coast of West Java to Australia. They left Nov. 18 and arrived at Christmas Island on Nov. 23.

The migrants reportedly said Australian officials destroyed the boat that carried them to the Australian territory of Christmas Island. They said they were detained for four days before they were pushed back out to sea in a new boat.

Australian Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton refused to comment, maintaining a government policy of secrecy surrounding people smuggling operations.

Indonesia's many islands are a popular transit point for people fleeing war-ravaged countries on their way to Australia.

The incident happened as Jakarta is holding a regional meeting attended by representatives of Australia and 13 other countries to discuss the root causes of the refugee crisis.

"Talk to us, call our law enforcement on what to do with this, rather than just shifting the burden, shifting the responsibility back to Indonesia," Kleib told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.

He said he hoped the incident would not become a stumbling block in overall cooperation between the two countries.

___

Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.