Another well-known crossing point to the northwest coast of Australia is the province of West Java. In late November, police there arrested four Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly arranged a boat to Australia from the coastal town of Setipus.
The asylum seekers and their crew appeared to be prepared to brave the summer monsoon, which can whip up dangerous waves in the region from October to February. According to Slamit Ari Nugroho, coordinator of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association, conditions can be difficult even for Australian patrol boats.
“This situation may be used by illegal boats trying to seek asylum because they know when the authorities are least interested [and] He said: “I don’t go out to the sea.” “they [asylum seekers] They risk their lives, but they still do it because censorship at the time was lax.
He said Indonesian authorities would generally seek shelter during high seas. Yohannes Antara, a spokesman for the Indonesian Coast Guard, said boat crews were closely monitoring deteriorating conditions.
“I don’t think we will reduce patrols,” he said. “If it is only two to three meters tall [waves]“We are still able to patrol because the coast guard ship is 80 meters away.”
He added that any height of four meters or more is an order from the captain.
One of the groups that arrived in Western Australia on February 17 at the Pender Bay campsite with their owner at the centre. The men were given food and basic medical care before the police were alerted.
Australian ships, which range from 40 meters to 111 metres, are another matter. This masthead asked the Australian Border Force whether monsoons – or the assumption that illegal boats don't brave the conditions – were factors in decisions to patrol and target locations.
She did not answer questions, but said agents evaluated safety standards, while prioritizing resources was based on evidence and intelligence.
The ABF confirmed in Senate estimates last year that total aerial surveillance was down 14 percent compared to the previous year. Officials attributed this to the difficulty of recruiting pilots. The number of offshore patrol days has also decreased by 6 per cent, largely due to the aging of the Australian fleet and maintenance problems.
Australia and Indonesia share a wide maritime border, and the Fishermen's Association's Salamit said the number of Indonesian fishing boats operating illegally in Australian waters outnumber patrol crews.
download
“It's not just about the monsoon. There's no way they can catch every illegal boat.”
West Timor's Patar said it was usually very expensive and complicated for smugglers to unload their human cargo and try to get the boat back to Indonesia. “In our experience, they write off the cost of the boat to take them to Australia,” he said.
In previous missions, boat crews sailed into the path of Australian Border Force agents who were taking asylum seekers to process and destroy boats.
What happened to the boats used to reach Australia this time is unclear, raising concerns that people smugglers are using more advanced vessels and returning to Indonesia with impunity.
Get a direct note from our foreigners Reporters About what's making headlines around the world. Subscribe to the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
