Boat With Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Sinks,
Says Indonesian Officials

An Indonesian boat with at least 418 refugees from various countries in the Middle East on board last Sunday night went down into the sea north of Indonesia' s Java island, Bogor immigration office chief Amirul C.H. said.

Hundreds of the ill-fated immigrants were still missing, except the rescued 44, 29 of whom were admitted to the Husada hospital in Bogor, about 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.

Amirul was quoted by the Antara News Agency Wednesday as saying that the illegal foreign refugees had earlier escaped from the immigrants camp in Bogor.

Meanwhile, according to a Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port immigration official, the immigrants were on board an illegal wooden vessel heading for Australia, but the boat's engine had bogged down, and the packed vessel lost control and sank.

The illegal immigrants came from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, and those still being treated at the hospital were still very weak from more than five hours of drifting at sea.

Amirul explained further that actually the number of immigrants from the Middle East sheltered in Bogor totaled 575. They were trying to reach a third country, including Australia, but since they did not have any legal papers they became stranded in various locations in Bogor.

The presence of the refugees had also caused problems to the immigration authorities, because they were often involved in heated arguments, only short of actual brawls, with local residents.

He said all the cost of their daily needs, including accommodation, are paid by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and this is a great help to Indonesia, especially in the current prolonged economic crisis.

( Xinhua News Agency 10/24/2001)