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INDONESIAN POLICE UNVEIL RING OF HUMAN TRAFFICKERS
Jakarta -
The Indonesian police have unveiled a ring of human traffickers that
has sent 83 Sri Lankans to Australia using the country as a transit
place.
The Vice
Director of Security and Transnational Crimes of the National
Police's Crimes and Intelligence Agency, Senior Commissioner
Bachtiar Hasanudin Tambunan, said in Jakarta on Tuesday (29/05) it
was found that the operation had been controlled from Jakarta.
In
connection with the case the police had already arrested two
suspects known by their initials as K and M who are all Sri Lankan
nationals, he said. "These suspects had been sentenced to four
years' imprisonment in Australia for their involvement in a human
trafficking case. After being freed, they repeated their criminal
activity and were again captured," he said.
The case
was uncovered following the detention of a boat carrying 83 Sri
Lankans who were to be smuggled into Australia by the Australian
navy around Christmas Island waters. The boat's skipper was an
Indonesian citizen hailing from Lampung, he said.
Following
the incident, the Australian police then asked the Indonesian police
to uncover the ring believing that it was controlled from Jakarta,
he said. The Indonesian police then arrested the two suspects and
confiscated some evidence, such as passports, credit cards, cash
money and documents.
In a
preliminary questioning, the two confessed they had brought the 83
Sri Lankans from Colombo to Singapore and then Jakarta by boat. From
Jakarta they were then taken to Lampung from where they left for
Australia. However, on the way to Australia their boat had trouble
and consequently, the passengers were returned to Jakarta.
The two
suspects later sent the Sri Lankans through Ujung Kulon, Banten,
West Java, but when they arrived on Christmas Island waters they
were seized by the Australian navy. "They wished to go to Australia
to seek a better life. They each paid between Rp50 million and Rp100
million for the service," Bachtiar said.
He said
the Indonesian police were still searching for other suspects in the
case who were still at large (Antara, 30/05/07).
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