Soldiers may get 15 years for boat tragedy

15 Feb 2012, 4:40 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Five Indonesian soldiers could be jailed for 15 years over their alleged involvement in an asylum-seeker boat that sank while on its way to Australia.

Five Indonesian soldiers accused of involvement in organising an asylum-seeker boat that sank on its way to Australia, leading to the deaths of as many as 200 people, could be jailed for up to 15 years.

The development comes as a senior officer with the Indonesian Military (TNI) said efforts would be stepped up to weed out corrupt elements within the ranks, including those linked to people-smuggling operations.

A civilian linked to the military, as well as four boatowners, are also facing prosecution over the ill-fated people-smuggling venture.

Investigators are expected to hand over case files in relation to three of the soldiers to military prosecutors later this week.

Chief of the Brawijaya Military Command in East Java, Major General Murdjito, has confirmed that the five soldiers, including a number of senior officers, are likely to be discharged if found guilty of involvement in the people-smuggling operation.

"The letter from the Tulungagung military district commander (in East Java) ... stated that there were indications that three officers were involved in the incident," he said.

As many as 200 people drowned in December when the overloaded boat, packed with about 250 asylum seekers, sank off the coast of East Java on its way to Australia.

Just 49 people survived the tragedy, which occurred in rough monsoonal seas on December 17 last year.

Authorities recovered 84 bodies, some of which drifted as far as Bali in the days after the sinking, with the rest declared missing and believed drowned.

The five soldiers are being detained at a miliary base in Surabaya.

They are expected to face a military tribunal within months.

Maj-Gen Murdjito said patrols were being stepped up in coastal areas in a number of regions around the archipelago to deal with the people-smuggling problem.

"We have coordinated with headquarters to anticipate and prevent similar cases from happening in other areas in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and elsewhere," he said.

Indonesia is the chief transit point for asylum seekers heading to Australia, with members of the military and police officers often implicated in people-smuggling operations.

Maj-Gen Murdjito said the case against the five soldiers linked to the December 17 tragedy showed the Indonesian military was committed to cleaning up corruption within its ranks.

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