Rescue team unaware of sinking

Rescue team unaware of sinking

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When news about a boat packed with 418 Middle Eastern asylum
seekers sank last week, there was no word on what Search and
Rescue teams were doing.

Forty-four survivors said they were helped by fishermen after
floating in the rough seas for two days.

The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) broke its
silence on Friday -- in self defense.

Sukapdjioto, the agency's operational director, said he
received no distress call that fateful Friday night. The agency
did receive an alert notice from Australia, but the ill-fated
boat's whereabouts were unclear.

"Such illegal boats have communication equipment. We tried to
locate the boat around Banten but to no avail," he said.

Sukapdjioto also acknowledged that the agency was not well-
equipped. Funds are short and the whole of Indonesia only has
seven rescue boats, 10 helicopters and 24 offices. Each office
has six rescuers.

He said that, due to the fund shortage, the agency did not
carry out patrols and only conducted rescue operations when they
were called upon.

He said that boatpeople often resorted to cunning tactics to
get what they wanted. The most common tactic is damaging their
boat when help is in sight, Sukapdjioto said.

"Many Indonesian seafarers who know the trick refuse to help
them. They know the boat people will demand they be taken to a
destination by force," he said.