‘Strong evidence’ smugglers bribed

NEW evidence shows Australian border officials bribed people smugglers to turn around a New Zealand-bound boat of asylum seekers, says Amnesty International.

In a report, entitled By Hook or By Crook, the human rights agency also alleges officials provided maps showing the crew where to land in Indonesia.

By Hook or By Crook uses evidence through interviews with asylum seekers, a boat crew and Indonesian police to piece together an incident in May this year.

It was revealed then that passengers and an Indonesian police chief claimed border protection officials paid people smugglers to return asylum seekers intercepted north of Australia en route to New Zealand, the report said.

Australian officials working as part of Operation Sovereign Borders paid six crew who had been taking 65 people seeking asylum to New Zealand US$32,000 (NZ$47,540) and told them to take the people to Indonesia instead.

The Australians also reportedly provided maps showing the crew where to land in Indonesia.

Amnesty researcher Anna Shea said it seemed as though a second incident took place in July.

Amnesty has released video footage taken on a mobile phone by an asylum seeker, showing them being transferred from one boat to another.

It is alleged the boats were provided by Australian officials after the payment, and one later had to be abandoned after it ran out of fuel.

‘‘All of the available evidence points to Australian officials having committed a transnational crime by, in effect, directing a people-smuggling operation, paying a boat crew and then instructing them on exactly what to do and where to land in Indonesia,’’ Shea said.

‘‘People-smuggling is a crime usually associated with private individuals, not governments – but here we have strong evidence that Australian officials are not just involved, but directing operations.

‘‘In the two incidents documented by Amnesty International, Border Force and Navy officials also put the lives of dozens of people at risk by forcing them on to poorly equipped vessels. When it comes to its treatment of those seeking asylum, Australia is becoming a lawless state.’’

In June, then Australian prime minister Tony Abbott refused to confirm or deny that his government had paid off people smugglers to turn back the boats.

Prime Minister John Key has also refused to comment.