Police arrest eight over asylum boat tragedy as toll hits 90

INDONESIAN police have arrested eight people over last weekend's asylum boat tragedy, as the confirmed death toll hit 90.

INDONESIAN police have arrested eight people over last weekend's asylum boat tragedy, as the confirmed death toll hit 90.

Indonesian national police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said officers had arrested two of the doomed boat's owners and two crew members under immigration and maritime laws.

"We questioned seven survivors and several fishermen as witnesses . . . and have arrested and are questioning two owners of the boat that sank and two crew members," he said yesterday.

In addition, he said, military police had taken in four soldiers for questioning over the capsizing.

The boat carrying mostly Afghans and Iranians sank 40 nautical miles off the coast of eastern Java early on Saturday amid bad weather and waves as high as 5m.

Only 47 passengers were rescued after the vessel sank, and the two crew members who at first claimed to be fishermen were found on Monday near the city of Malang in Java. Officials accused crew members of hoarding the 25 life jackets on board, while witnesses told AFP crew members helped distribute them.

On Thursday evening, police retrieved 16 bodies that had been swept roughly 300km east from where the boat capsized and were retrieved around Bali, bringing the confirmed death toll to 90.

Rescuers had found 43 bodies on Wednesday and a further 31 overnight.

The Australian Federal Police has been working with its Indonesian counterparts to untangle the people-smuggling network that orchestrated the planned journey to Christmas Island.

An associate of Afghan people-smuggling kingpin Sayed Abbas was believed to be responsible for sending the boat on its journey.

Asylum-seekers often pass through Indonesia to connect with people-smugglers and to get on boats to Christmas Island.

AFP