http://www.smh.com.au/national/people-smugglers-dupe-asylum-seekers-20091004-ghxb.html
People smugglers dupe asylum seekers LINDSAY MURDOCH October 5, 2009 Still in Indonesia... the asylum seekers, believed to be Afghans, are taken off a boat and marched up a beach on Rote Island. DARWIN: It was the middle of the night when 22 asylum seekers were told they had reached Australian territory and a new life. Indonesian people smugglers crewing the boat they were on waved at them to go ashore, and they excitedly scrambled over the side. But as the sun rose over the small island on which they found themselves, the boat having long disappeared, the asylum seekers, who are believed to be Afghans, realised they had been duped. They were dumped at the weekend on N'Dao, a tiny Indonesian island 50 kilometres from Australia's Ashmore Reef, where they had paid thousands of dollars to be taken. If the people smugglers had done what they had promised, and taken the asylum seekers to Ashmore Reef, they would have risked arrest by navy or customs personnel who patrol the area. Convicted people smugglers face up to 20 years' jail in Australia. Upon realising they were still in Indonesia, the asylum seekers split up and sought hiding places across the island. Villagers called Indonesian police on nearby Rote island, who travelled to N'Dao. After a manhunt that lasted several hours, all the asylum seekers were rounded up and taken to a Rote police station, where they were being held last night. They are expected to be taken to Jakarta to face immigration charges. Witnesses said the men appeared to be in good health but were extremely upset at having been duped. The asylum seekers told police the boat had travelled to N'Dao from the Indonesian island of Flores, a journey that had taken several days. Australian authorities are cracking down on Indonesian crews of boats that bring asylum seekers into Australian territory. Two Indonesian crewmen of a boat that exploded near Ashmore Reef in April have been charged with people smuggling. Five people died on the boat after fuel was lit, causing an explosion, a Northern Territory police investigation has found. The asylum seekers were agitated after navy personnel had ordered them to leave Australian waters and return to Indonesia. They had each paid people smugglers about $US6000 ($6950) to travel from Pakistan, through Indonesia to Australia. Almost 1500 people have arrived in Australian territory on 30 unauthorised vessels this year. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
