The Australians also provided maps showing the crew where to land in Indonesia, the report states. By this time the boat crew had two new bags that the passengers had not seen before.
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Through interviews with asylum-seekers, a boat crew and Indonesian police, a new report – By hook or by crook – exposes evidence that, in May 2015, Australian officials working as part of Operation Sovereign Borders paid six crew who had been taking 65 people seeking asylum to New Zealand United States dollars 32,000 and told them to take the people to Indonesia instead.
The officials allegedly gave two large bags to the smugglers and told the asylum seekers not to open the bags.
“While on board the Australian ship a number of people developed health problems…” “Operation Sovereign Borders, far from saving lives, has become synonymous with abuse of a few of the world’s most vulnerable people”, said Anna Shea.
“Another woman who has blood pressure problems was not allowed to take her own medicine, which had been taken away from her [by the Australians]”.
While the Australian government has repeatedly denied paying people-smugglers, crew members of the boat and asylum-seekers confirmed to the human rights group that the transaction took place.
Amnesty said it had now interviewed all the adults on the boat and the six crew members who told its researchers that Australian officials paid them $32,000 to turn back the vessel with asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Such an intervention by the officials endangered the lives of people seeking asylum by transferring them to different boats that did not have enough fuel, Amnesty’s report said. Video taken by one of the asylum-seekers shows the transfer operation.
The evidence collected by Amnesty worldwide about the events of May 2015 indicates that on or about 24 May Australian officials appear to have organised or directed the crew to commit a people-smuggling offence. That boat foundered on a reef at Landu Island, near Rote, from where locals rescued the passengers.
“Despite having a satellite phone, so they had the means to call for help and they told me that they never did”.
The two boats – “Jasmine”, left, and “Kanak” – after being towed to Rote Island by Indonesian officials.
“We would also call on him to back Amnesty’s call for a Royal Commission to investigate Australia’s treatment of the asylum seekers”, Ms Delahunty said.
Prime Minister John Key has previously refused to comment on the payment allegation, saying he only found out about it through media reports.
The boat was allegedly intercepted twice, before being taken to Greenhill Island near Darwin.
A spokeswoman for his office said the Government’s position had not changed since the first allegations were made.
The Australian government denied reports of paying the smugglers but the incident sparked a parliamentary inquiry and concern from Jakarta and the United Nations.
The foreign affairs spokesperson for New Zealand’s Labour Party, David Shearer, said he would be seeking assurances from the New Zealand government that it was not involved.
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In response to the report, the Ministry for Immigration and Border Protection said “people on intercepted vessels are held lawfully in secure, safe, humane, and appropriate conditions by the personnel of the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF)”.
