230 refugees stranded on Rote island
230 refugees stranded on Rote island
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At least 230 asylum-seekers from Middle Eastern countries were
stranded on Rote island in East Nusa Tenggara province after
strong waves and high winds prevented them from sailing through
to their destination, Australia, an East Nusa Tenggara police
spokesman said on Friday.
"They are temporarily sheltered at the Kupang State Police
School together with 243 other refugees taken in late October,"
East Nusa Tenggara Police Spokesman C. Wanton said, as Antara
reported.
Police authorities rushed to Rote, a small island southwest of
Kupang, the provincial capital, after receiving reports from
local people about the refugees' presence, Wanton said.
He said the refugees consisted of 211 males, including a
three-month old boy, and 32 females from Afghanistan (190
refugees), Pakistan (47), Iraq (four), and Iran (two)
According to Wanton, the refugees all intended to go to
Australia.
Escorted by police, the refugees were ferried to Kupang on
Thursday evening in fishing boats. They were brought to the
Kupang State Police School, where another 243 refugees have been
since October.
"Our job is only protecting and overseeing them, while their
daily needs are being taken care of by IOM (International
Organization for Migration), just like the other 243 refugees,"
he added.
The news agency did not mention the refugees' port of
embarkation or whether police authorities detained any crew
members from the boat attempting to smuggle the refugees into
Australia.
According to Wanton, Rote, the southern most island in Asia
and the Indonesian archipelago, has often been used as a final
stepping stone for illegal immigrants wishing to enter Australia
because of its proximity to the state of Western Australia.
Less than two weeks ago, East Nusa Tenggara police also
apprehended 243 refugees from Middle Eastern countries after
their boat was prevented from entering Australian waters by
Australia's Navy. They had reportedly entered Australian waters
but were pushed back by the Navy, forcing them to return to
Indonesian waters and landing on Rote.
East Nusa Tenggara police are now coordinating with IOM and
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for their
possible transfer to Jakarta, Wanton said.
Earlier, some 170 refugees, also from Middle Eastern
countries, were stranded on a small island off Sumbawa after the
boat they had hijacked developed engine trouble.
The issue of illegal refugees from Middle Eastern countries
has become a sore point in Indonesia's relations with Australia,
especially after Canberra refused entry to more than 400 asylum-
seekers rescued from an Indonesian boat sinking on Australian
waters, and demanded their rescuer, the crew of a European
tanker, to take them to back to Indonesia.