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.