see below. this happened 2 months ago as well, but wasnt commented on nor reported on mainstream. whats going on. wonder how many boats dont get caught.
JAKARTA (AFP)--Indonesia detained 41 Afghan migrants on the country's eastern Sulawesi island and arrested six people smugglers who were trying to bring them to Australia, police said Tuesday.
The Afghans were detained after Indonesian and Australian police tailed the ferry they were traveling on from the capital Jakarta to Sulawesi's Bau Bau city, police transnational crime head Untung Sangaji said.
"The Indonesian police and the Australian Federal Police followed them from Jakarta to Bau Bau and arrested them there at 9 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Monday on suspicion of people smuggling," Sangaji said.
"(An Indonesian) middleman named Tahir was waiting for them at Bau Bau and had prepared a boat to take them to Australia," he said.
The police also arrested an Indonesian boat captain and four crew members and seized an engine-powered wooden boat equipped with a map and compass.
Indonesia is a key staging point for people smugglers bringing Afghans and other nationals on the dangerous sea journey to Australia.
Four Afghans who escaped an immigration detention center in the eastern city of Kupang were found floating dead at sea by fishermen in January.
