Chinese boat migrants bound for Australia intercepted in Indonesian fishing town

A heavily-modified fishing boat intercepted with six Chinese nationals on board trying to get to Australia was owned and operated by a Chinese boat captain believed to be involved in people smuggling.

Fishingboats near Kupang, Indonesia. Picture: Suryo Wibowo

A heavily modified Indonesian fishing boat intercepted with six Chinese nationals on board trying to get to Australia was owned and operated by a Chinese boat captain believed to be involved in a new modus operandi of people smuggling.

The group was intercepted by Indonesian fisheries authorities in waters near the eastern city of Kupang, a straight-line 500km journey to the north West Australian coast where 39 Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indian asylum- seekers were ferried by fishermen earlier this year.

The interception was on Tuesday night in the harbour at Kupang, a traditional departure point in West Timor, part of East Nusa Tenggara province, and involved a boat carrying six Chinese men and a group of Indonesians.

The interception come only hours before a visit by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neill to Jakarta, where she met with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto, to discuss co-operation on law enforcement and maritime security.

The Indonesian Marine and Fisheries Ministry’s surveillance unit in Kupang had been stalking the suspicious boat for a week but it was not until Sunday it began moving to cross the borders into Australia.

After a half-hour chase, the patrol boat apprehended the fishing vessel at around 2.30am on Wednesday.

The boat appeared to be modified with three extra motors and no lights to increase its speed and stealth, an officer involved in the arrest told The Australian on Sunday.

The modified boat was owned and captained by Jiang Xiao Jia, a Chinese national who had lived in South Sulawesi for four years and had intended to smuggle five other Chinese nationals into ­Australia.

The ministry’s surveillance ­director-general, Pung Nugroho Saksono, said the interception happened during routine patrols.

“This is a new modus operandi we have encountered behind fishing capture violations,” he said.

“The unnamed vessels, each less than 10GT, were found to contain 12 individuals, including six Chinese nationals suspected to be smuggled to Australia and six Indonesian nationals serving as crew and operational staff.”

He said the ministry’s data showed several vessels intending to cross the Indonesia-Australia maritime border.

“On Wednesday at 2.30am, the fishing vessel was observed crossing without proper vessel name and identification. When interception was attempted, the vessel increased its speed, raising suspicions and resulting in a chase between the ­patrol boat and the fishing vessel,” Ipunk said.

The unnamed fishing vessel was successfully apprehended and subjected to inspection in the waters near Semau Island.

The case was later handed over to local police.

The East Nusa Tenggara Regional Police said they have named six Indonesians and one Chinese national as suspects, charging them with violation of immigration rules that carried minimum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment.