Posted on 10/01/2005 5:14:01 AM PDT by naturalman1975
AUSTRALIAN authorities have apprehended two Indonesian men accused of boarding an Australian fishing boat. Authorities boarded an Indonesian fishing vessel off Western Australia's remote northern coast between 1pm and 3pm (AEST) this afternoon, an Australian Customs spokesman said.
"The boarding crew was made up of some men from HMAS Geraldton and some from West Australian Fisheries and patrol vessel the Walcott," the spokesman said.
"After initial questioning, they'd taken the two Indonesian crew to the Walcott. The Walcott will be making its way back to Broome for further questioning.
"The Indonesian fishing boat is to be disposed of on the spot."
The Walcott will not reach Broome for at least another day, the spokesman said. Until then, it will not be confirmed what the men were doing in Australian waters.
The alarm was raised late yesterday when Australian fishing boat Southern Venture II was boarded by Indonesian fishermen.
The Australian boat was anchored 750 metres off the coast near Hat Point, close to the top end of WA.
The captain said two Indonesian men sailed their small fishing vessel up to the boat and climbed aboard, before being confronted by the Australian crew.
Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison said the Government was taking the incident seriously.
"We certainly take this matter very seriously and customs is carrying out investigations in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police and WA Police Service," he said.
I guess that might teach them to board Australian vessels.
I guess that might teach them to board Australian vessels.
Shiver me timbers, Batman! Scuttle that pirate vessel!
But how did the Indonesians get their boat within a click of the Western Australian coast on a major illegal immigration route?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.