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ast Nusa Tenggara Governor Frans Leburaya has urged the Australian government to take immediate measures to plug an oil leak polluting the Timor Sea.

Leburaya said Tuesday in the provincial capital Kupang that the local environmental agency had sent the government results of lab tests proving the leak, from an offshore oil rig in the Montara field, had polluted local waters.

"The observation team is continuing to monitor the impact of the pollution and will report periodically," Leburaya said.

He added marine life reportedly affected by the oil included dolphins and whales.

"If the crude oil sinks to the bottom of the sea, deep-sea fishes will also be at risk," he said, adding he had sent a letter to the foreign, environment and transportation ministers to discuss the issue with the Australian government.

At a press conference the same day, West Timor Care Foundation director Ferdi Tanoni lauded the Australian government's plan to form an independent commission to investigate the oil rig explosion.

"The proposal to establish an independent commission was expressed by Australian Resources Minister Martin Ferguson on November 30 in Canberra," he said.

He urged the independent commission to involve Indonesia and East Timor in its job, saying both countries were at the highest risk from the pollution.

"The investigation should be carried out together so as not to give an impression of being partial," Tanoni said, adding the Indonesian government should be more proactive in dealing with the issue.

Besides the spill, he went on, the offshore oil rig operated by West Atlas, owned by Thai company PTTEP, had also caught fire.

Australian authorities are currently attempting to plug the leak and put out the fire.

At a press conference Tuesday in Jakarta, the Australian Embassy said the federal government had focused on minimizing the impact of the oil spill and would continue to provide the latest information to Indonesian authorities.

Embassy public affairs official Angky Septiana said the oil leak began on Aug. 21, spilling light crude oil into the Timor Sea.

The embassy had immediately reported the incident to Indonesian authorities as soon as satellite images showed large patches of crude oil entering the Indonesian exclusive economic zone, he added.

"On Oct. 28, Australian Minister of Environment, Heritage and Arts Peter Garrett held talks with his Indonesian counterpart Gusti Muhammad Hatta on the oil spill from the Montara oil field," Septiana said.

The biggest section of the oil spill is found in Australian waters, within the Montara oil field.