INDONESIA: Injured survivors receive medical treatment in Indonesia's hospital after a suspected refugee boat bound for Australia disappeared

Record ID: 335373

  • Title: INDONESIA: Injured survivors receive medical treatment in Indonesia's hospital after a suspected refugee boat bound for Australia disappeared
  • Date: 31st August 2012
  • Summary: MERAK, BANTEN PROVINCE, INDONESIA (AUGUST 31, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SURVIVORS BEING TAKEN INTO A BUS BUS LEAVING MERAK PORT EXTERIOR OF HOTEL RENTED BY INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES FOR SHELTER VARIOUS OF A SURVIVOR IN HOTEL ROOM DURING HEALTH CHECK BANTEN PROVINCE POLICE COMMANDER, BUDI HERMAWAN TALKING ABOUT SEARCH SURVIVOR TALKING WITH POLICEMAN VARIOUS OF SURVIVORS IN HO
  • Embargoed: 15th September 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9VHCGW12L94B65KZ51MM53KZO
  • Story Text: Eleven people rescued from the sea off Indonesia were taken to hospital on Friday (August 31) to receive medical treatments.
    Rescuers have evacuated 55 people after a suspected refugee boat disappeared on its way to Australia, which was first reported to be in distress on Wednesday in Indonesia's Sunda Strait, with several merchant ships and rescue helicopters at the scene, around 42 nautical miles off Java.
    It was still unclear on Friday how many people were on the boat and search was still going on, Banten province commander Budi Hermawan said.
    Refugees seeking asylum in Australia often set sail from Indonesia heading for Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island in dangerous and overcrowded boats, with the help of people smugglers.
    Since 2001, almost 1,000 people have died at sea while attempting to reach Australia on overcrowded and often unseaworthy refugee boats from Indonesia.
    A person on board the unidentified boat had contacted Australian rescue authorities by telephone on Wednesday, saying the vessel had engine trouble and needed assistance.
    A search by Indonesian authorities failed to locate the boat on Wednesday, but a merchant vessel early on Thursday reported it had seen people in the water and was attempting to recover survivors, Australia's Maritime Safety Authority said.
    Refugee policy and border protection are hot-button issues in Australia, despite the fact the country only receives a small number of the world's asylum seekers each year.
    The U.N. refugee agency said Australia received 11,800 claims for asylum in 2011, compared with 441,000 claims globally, with 327,000 of those claims in Europe.
    Australia is working on plans to reopen refugee detention centres in the Pacific islands nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to deter refugee boats from reaching Australia and prevent sinkings.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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