Media Asing Soroti Bukti Suap Australia pada Penyelundup Manusia
Indonesian Police Release Photos of $30k, Australian Spies Accused Given to Smugglers to Return Boats
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
POLISI INDONESIA mengungkap fakta berupa foto segepok uang tunai yang diduga diberikan oleh mata-mata Australia kepada para penyelundup manusia untuk memutar arah kapal para pencari suaka.
Foto-foto yang diambil oleh polisi sebagai bagian dari penyelidikan mereka terhadap penyelundup manusia upaya memutar balik arah kapal, diklaim untuk menunjukkan 'bukti' bahwa uang lebih dari US$30 ribu telah dibayar kepada para penyelundup manusia untuk kembali ke Indonesia, menurut pejabat Indonesia.
Dokumen polisi menunjukkan dua kapal kayu yang disediakan kepada para penyelundup manusia ketika mereka dicegat oleh petugas bea cukai Australia di dekat Timor Timur, seperti dilaporkan ABC yang dikutip MailOnline.
Salah satu kapal yang disediakan oleh Australia diduga kehabisan bahan bakar dalam perjalanan kembali ke perairan Indonesia. Akibatnya, 65 pencari suaka terpaksa dipindahkan ke perahu lain, yang kemudian menabrak karang.
Polisi telah mewawancarai keenam penyelundup, serta kapten kapal, yang mengaku mereka masing-masing dibayar US$5.000 untuk memutar balik arah kapal.
Dokumen di kepolisian menduga lebih dari US$30 ribu menjadi uang suap, ketika polisi mengungkap foto dari segepok uang dan perahu kayu yang digunakan untuk mengangkut para pencari suaka kembali ke Indonesia.
"Kami telah menunjukkan bukti,' kata Brigadir Jenderal Endang Sunjaya, Kapolda Nusa Tenggara Timur kepada Fairfax Media yang dikutip MailOnline.
'Segepok uang itu sekarang disimpan sebagai bukti bahwa ini bukan kabar rekayasa."
Polisi Indonesia mengatakan pembayaran diduga berlangsung di Andika, dekat Pulau Greenhill di Northern Territory.
Brigadir Jenderal Endang mengatakan laporan investigasi polisi telah diserahkan ke Markas Besar Polri di Jakarta.
Perdana Menteri Tony Abbott mengatakan ia "benar-benar yakin" agen Australia bertindak sesuai ketentuan hukum saat itu, tetapi ia menolak mengomentari secara spesifik.
Pemimpin Oposisi Bill Shorten mengatakan pemerintahan Partai Buruh tidak pernah menyogok penyelundup manusia untuk memutar balik kapal, tapi dia menolak untuk mengatakan apakah praktek suap ini dilakukan wilayah Indonesia.
Menteri Luar Negeri Indonesia Retno Marsudi secara pribadi meminta penjelasan dari Duta Besar Australia pada Sabtu, menuntut dugaan suap sebagai masalah serius.
Namun koleganya dari Australia, Julie Bishop berbalik menuding Indonesia, mengatakan kegagalan untuk mengamankan perbatasannya membuat Indonesia bertindak kontroversial.
Ms Retno mengatakan dia masih menunggu jawaban yang sejujurnya.
'Sebenarnya, tidak sulit bagi Australia untuk menjawab pertanyaan saya dari Sabtu mengenai masalah suap, dan tidak untuk mengalihkan perhatian pada masalah ini," katanya kepada wartawan melalui pesan teks pada Senin dari Norwegia, tempatnya melakukan kunjungan kerja.
Juru bicara Kementerian Luar Negeri Mr Nasir mengatakan Jakarta terkejut pada pandangan Bishop, tetapi akan menghindari kesimpulan tentang klaim.
Langkah selanjutnya akan tergantung pada respon Australia, katanya.
"Kami terkejut dengan respon yang diberikan oleh menteri luar negeri mereka seperti yang kita lihat di media," katanya kepada AAP seperti dikutip MailOnline.
INDONESIAN POLICE have provided photos of the wads of cash allegedly given to people smugglers by Australian spies to turn their asylum seeker vessel back.
The photos, which were taken by police as part of their investigation into the turn-back operation, claim to show 'evidence' that more than $30,000 US dollars was paid to the people smugglers to return back to Indonesia, according to Indonesian officials.
Police documents show two wooden boats were provided to the people smugglers when they were intercepted by Australian customs officials near East Timor, the ABC reports.
One of the boats provided by Australia allegedly ran out of fuel on the journey back. The 65 asylum seekers were forced to crowd onto the other boat, which later crashed into a reef.
Indonesian police have interviewed six smugglers, as well as the captain of the boat, who claim they were paid $5,000 each to turn around.
Some of the asylum seekers also gave similar accounts of the alleged payments by an Australian customs official.
The police document alleges more than $30,000 changed hands, with officials providing photos of the money and the wooden boat used to transport the asylum seekers back to Indonesia.
'We have given you the evidence,' General Endang Sunjaya, the police chief of Nusa Tenggara Timur province, told Fairfax Media.
'The money is now being kept as evidence that this was not a made up story.'
Indonesian police say the alleged payment took place on Andika, near Greenhill Island in the Northern Territory.
General Endang said the police investigation report had been handed to National Police headquarters in Jakarta.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he is "absolutely confident" Australian agencies had acted within the law at all times, but will not comment on the specifics.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says Labor governments never paid people smugglers to turn boats around, but refused to say whether the practice was used on land in Indonesia.
The Australian Federal Police is also considering whether the alleged payments warrant investigation.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi personally sought an explanation from Australia's ambassador on Saturday, demanding the allegations be taken seriously.
But her Australian counterpart Julie Bishop responded by holding a mirror up to Indonesia, saying its failure to secure its borders made the controversial policy necessary.
Ms Retno says she is still waiting for a frank reply.
'Actually, it's not difficult for Australia to answer my question from Saturday regarding the issue of payment, and not to distract on the issue,' she told reporters by text message on Monday from Norway, where she is on official business.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mr Nasir says Jakarta is shocked by Ms Bishop's view, but will avoid jumping to conclusions about the claims.
The next move would depend on Australia's response, he said.
'We're shocked by the response given by their foreign minister as we've seen in the media,' he told AAP.
