Nearly 50 asylum seekers rescued

AFP/Jakarta

Indonesian rescuers brought about 50 asylum seekers back to the main island of Java yesterday after their boat broke down shortly after they set off for Australia.

The boat suffered engine failure about five kilometres off Manuk beach in Banten province in the morning, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said.

Nine people, including five children, were rescued initially with the help of local fishermen, agency spokesman Mochamad Hernanto said.

The remaining 39 on the stricken vessel at first refused to be picked up by Indonesian rescuers and returned to Java.

But the boat was towed closer to the shore in the evening and all the asylum seekers agreed to be brought ashore, Hernanto said.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said earlier that reports indicated some people had entered the water. However Hernanto said everyone was safe.

Morrison said Australian authorities were not involved in the rescue.

Asylum-seekers arriving on unauthorised boats in Australia, often via Indonesia, are a sensitive issue for both sides.

Many have drowned attempting the precarious journey on rickety wooden vessels, and Tony Abbott’s conservative government came to power in September on a platform which included turning back boats to Indonesia when it was safe to do so.

But Canberra’s military-led Operation Sovereign Borders has raised concerns in Jakarta.