People smuggler deportation delayed

People smuggler deportation delayed

JAKARTA: An Egyptian man accused of organizing a voyage from Indonesia to Australia during which hundreds of asylum seekers drowned must be investigated for immigration offenses before he can be deported, an Indonesian official said on Wednesday.

The man, Mootaz Muhammad Hasan, alias Abu Quassey, is wanted in Australia over the voyage in October 2001 during which 353 people, most of them Afghans and Iraqis, drowned when their overcrowded vessel sank in the Indian Ocean.

The alleged immigration offense involved an apparent attempt by Quassey to get an Indonesian passport, said Director General of Immigration Iman Santoso.

"We are investigating a request for an Indonesian passport made by Abu Quassey. If it is true then we will press charges as he made a false statement," Santoso told reporters.

Quassey has so far served a six-month jail term for visa violations and officials had said earlier they expected his deportation soon, though to where was not clear.

His deportation will now be postponed while the latest investigation is carried out, Santoso said. He gave no time frame. --Reuters