"They left Jakarta on June 13, 2011, for Batam, and dropped anchor in the Nongsa waters," Riau Islands Police Director Yassin Kosasih said in Tanjungpinang on Wednesday.
Yassin said the leader of the group who is also the skipper, Makesu Selvakumaran on June 27, 2011, picked up 64 other Sri Lankan immigrants and brought them to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, using a speed boat before proceeding to New Zealand or Canada.
When sailing, he said the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the engine of MV Alicia had trouble and therefore docked in Galang Baru waters, Batam, before being caught at coordinates 00 41 12.7 N 104 08 11.9 E on Saturday (July 9).
Yassin said that Makesu Selvakumaran entered Indonesia by way of Bali by the end of 2010 and sailed to Jakarta before the encounter with 22 Sri Lanka illegal immigrants at Rajawali Apartment in Central Jakarta.
"It was at that time that they planned to go to New Zealand or Canada and bought a boat," he said.
He added that besides the 87 Sri Lankan immigrants, two Indonesian nationals were also arrested and being interrogated for allegedly helping the immigrants.
"The two Indonesian nationals were Yanto and Adi, are now still serving as witnesses and not yet as suspects," he said.
Yanto and Adi he said were technicians and GPS operators.
Besides that, he said there was also a foreigner currently still being sought by the police strongly suspected also to help the Sri Lankan immigrants.
Right now the Sri Lankan immigrants are still on board MV Alicia in the Tanjungpinang waters and still refused to leave the boat.
They are asking for a guarantee from the UNHCR and the International Organization for Refugees (IOM) for acceptance in New Zealand or Canada. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
