Detained Australian ship has required documents

Detained Australian ship has required documents

The Jakarta Post, Ambon

The Maluku governor and an Ambon immigration official have
admitted that a detained Australian ship and its crew had all the
legal documents necessary for being in Indonesian waters.

After days of furor over the detention, Ambon immigration
office chief Wiryono said on Saturday that the ship's captain,
John Kevin Means, had all the required papers for entering Ambon
water and for possessing firearms.

Means and three Indonesian crewmen were arrested on board the
MV Alfred Nobel on Thursday. A search party found three rifles
and 134 bullets on board.

The Australian Embassy said the weapons found on the vessel
had earlier been registered with Indonesian customs officials and
had been sealed in a box.

Maluku Governor Saleh Lattuconsina said that the
administration would release the ship as soon as the documents
had been proved to be legitimate.

"The captain does have the necessary papers, but we will have
to further check the vessel's documents," he said, adding that
the authorities had to take precautions due to the restive
situation in the province.

Ambon has been wracked by a three-year sectarian conflict and
is now under a state of civil emergency. The government and the
military have often alleged outside interference in the conflict.

The ship is currently still detained by the Indonesian
authorities at the Halong naval base in Ambon.