Sinking fears sparked emergency rescue of asylum ‘bribes’ boat

Scott Morrison dismisses Indonesian claims about a bribe to people smugglers as details emerge of the turn back.

The federal government is playing down the release of photos by Indonesian police which purport to show tens of thousands of US dollars handed to six people smugglers by Australian authorities.

It comes after The Australian reported this morning that an Australian Secret Intelligence Service officer aboard HMAS Wollongong dressed in civilian clothes allegedly facilitated the payment after two boats carrying 65 asylum seekers was deemed unsafe.

The Australian understands the asylum-seeker boat at the centre of the ASIS bribery allegations was leaking and judged to be in danger of sinking, forcing Australian sailors to transfer those on board to another vessel.

Indonesian police have released photos of more than $30,000 cash allegedly paid to the boat’s crew, which General Endang Sunjaya, police chief of Nusa Tenggara Timur province, claimed was given to six crew members by an Australian official.

“We have given you the evidence. It’s now up to you and other organisations to demand an answer from the Australian government,” General Endang said.

Indonesian police say the alleged payment took place on Andika, near Greenhill Island in the Northern Territory. Under questioning, each crew member had sworn under oath that they were paid $US5000 ($A6460) to return to Indonesia, the general added. Their accounts were corroborated by asylum seekers, he said.

He said the asylum seekers were sent on their way on the two boats with just a drum of fuel each before eventually hitting a reef near Landu island, in West Rote, where they were rescued by villagers.

General Endang said the police investigation report had been handed to National Police headquarters in Jakarta.

Former immigration minister, now social services minister, Scott Morrison this morning said the Indonesian police claims are “effectively hearsay” and the government shouldn’t have to comment on them.

“Well, I’m not surprised that people make allegations. We’ve always done things lawfully and we will continue to do that.

However, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said the police claims and the release of the images “absolutely warrants investigation”.

Senior sources have told The Australian that the attempted transfer went wrong when an ­inflatable boat launched by the navy flipped over, sending ­Australian sailors tumbling into the ocean. The sailors were rescued by crewmates in what one source described as “unsafe conditions” although no one was ­seriously injured.

It is understood the crew of the Armidale-class patrol boat HMAS Wollongong then assessed the seaworthiness of the asylum-­seeker boat carrying 65 asylum-seekers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The boat, which was en route from Indon­esia to New Zealand, was found to be leaking too much to be repaired on the high seas and its engine was also malfunctioning.

The asylum-seekers were ­transferred to two smaller boats and directed back to Indonesia. They claim to have eventually returned to Indonesia near Landuti island, 500km northeast of the Australian coast.

The revelation that the boat was judged unseaworthy does not explain the mystery as to why payments were allegedly made to up to six of the boat’s crew.

The ASIS officer aboard the Wollongong, dressed in civilian clothes, is believed to have facilitated the payment, although the government refuses to confirm this or disclose any aspect of the ­incident. It is possible that payments were made to entice the crew to ­return the asylum-seekers to Indonesia, although this has not ­occurred in previous boat turn-backs. It is unusual for the crew of asylum-seeker boats to be any more than paid helpers for the ­organisers of the voyage.

It is also possible that money was paid to crew members in return for information about the person or syndicate that organised the people-smuggling venture.

The Australian revealed yesterday that Australian authorities had paid informers in Indonesia since 2001 to divulge details of people-smugglers in order to collapse these rings.

Six crew members of the recent boat claimed they received about $US5000 each from an Australian official aboard HMAS Wollongong to return to Indonesia.

Bill Shorten is being warned against pursuing the “confected outrage” at claims of cash payments to people-smugglers, amid signs that Labor used similar tactics to disrupt the passage of asylum-seekers.

Labor abandoned questions in parliament about the people-smuggling claims after the Opposition Leader fielded queries about whether the same sorts of payments were made when his party was in power. Asked if he had checked whether a Labor government had authorised payments to people-smugglers, Mr Shorten drew a distinction between practices on land in Indonesia and what occurred at sea.

“I am informed that Labor did not pay people-smugglers to turn around boats,” he said.

Mr Shorten would not comment on what may have taken place on land.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned Labor to be careful in its pursuit of the payment allegations as she mocked the “confected outrage” about the affair.

Indonesia has likened the reported state payments to the crew as “bribery”, with Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla saying the practice was “unethical” and would make Australia a party to people-smuggling.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said his country was concerned about the fate of asylum-seekers and did not agree with them being sent back to Indonesia.

A spokeswoman for New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said yesterday the minister had received a letter from 65 asylum-seekers on the boat that was turned back to Indonesia. They were claiming refugee status. The minister was treating the letter as “normal correspondence which we don’t release publicly”, the spokeswoman said, adding it was impossible to claim asylum in New Zealand from overseas.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he is “absolutely confident” Australian agencies had acted within the law at all times, but will not comment on the specifics.

The Australian Federal Police is also considering whether the alleged payments warrant investigation.

Additional reporting: David Crowe, Rowan Callick