Six bodies of four women and two children, and 14 other wounded survivors were washed ashore to Palawangan beach before they were discovered by the fishermen,"
Ciamis, West Java (ANTARA News) - At least six illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Iran were found dead by fishermen at Palawangan beach in Ciamis district, West Java, on Tuesday morning.

Pangandaran Water Tourism Rescue Agency (Balawista) spokesman Asep Udel said the fishermen found the six dead immigrants and rescued 14 other survivors.

He said the illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Iran were on their way to Christmas island in Australia but the boat they were sailing on capsized after being hit by big waves at Pangadaran waters.

"Six bodies of four women and two children, and 14 other wounded survivors were washed ashore to Palawangan beach before they were discovered by the fishermen," Asep said.

But Asep added that he did not know the exact number of the illegal immigrants who were on board the ill-fated boat.

He said the 14 wounded survivors were being treated at Pangandaran clinic, while the Balawista and police personnel, assisted by local fishermen, as of Tuesday afternoon still combing the Pangandaran waters to find out other survivors of the ill-fated boat.

Earlier on Sunday, the police in Ponorogo, East Java, arrested 11 Afghan and Turkish illegal immigrants when they were traveling in a car.

"We arrested them because they did not have the required immigration documents," Ponorogo police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yudha Gustawan said.

Yudha said none of the 11 illegal immigrants who were suspected to go to Christmas island in Australia had complete immigration papers.

According to him, the illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Turkey did have passports issued by the immigration office of their respective countries, but they did not have any document such as residence visas or tourist visas from the Indonesian immigration office.

"Because they illegally entered Indonesia without visa, we arrested them and then sent to immigration detention in Madium," Yudha said.

He added that there were actually 12 people in a mini van but one of them fled when the police attempted to arrest them.

After being detained for a while in Madium immigration detention house, they were transported by a tourist bust to the East Java provincial capital city of Surabaya. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011