Refleksi: Sangat menarik mengapa mereka ini tidak ke Arab Saudia, Iran, Kuwait, 
Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain  negeri-negeri hampir sama kebudayaan dan lagi  kaya 
raya. Australia jauh di mata banyak bahaya lagi negeri yang berbeda kebudayaan. 
Hal yang cocok ialah di Australia  ada aerah semi gurun pasir dan ada unta. 

http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/migrants-disappear-in-komodo-shipwreck/317067

July 08, 2009 
Eras Poke

Migrants Disappear In Komodo Shipwreck

Kupang. At least 74 illegal migrants believed to have sailed from the Middle 
East or Central Asia drowned in the treacherous waters off the Komodo National 
Park west of Flores Island, an official said on Wednesday. 

The head of the East Nusa Tenggara social services office, Sentis Medi, said 
the boat the victims were on sank around dusk on Tuesday. 

Search-and-rescue officials fanned out across the island-dotted sea between 
Flores and Sumbawa to the west, but those efforts had not yet recovered 
victims, dead or alive, or signs of the boat's wreckage, he said. 

Citing information from police, Medi said that before the wreck, one of the 
migrants, reportedly from Afghanistan, had managed to telephone a relative in 
Australia and to tell them the boat was sinking. Australian police relayed the 
information to West Manggarai Police through the National Police headquarters 
in Jakarta. 

However, it was unclear what the boat's position had been when it went down or 
where the boat had come from. And details about the craft itself, such as its 
name, type and size, were unavailable to help with the rescue operation. 

Medis said the police report indicated that women and children were among the 
74 people on board the boat as it headed to Australia, but no further details 
were given. 

"We only have this much information. We will coordinate again tomorrow," said 
Medi, asking reporters to contact police for confirmation of details in the 
incident on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, East Nusa Tenggara Police spokesman, Comr. Okto G. Riwu, said he had 
not heard about the wreck. 

The waters between Sumbawa and Flores are notoriously treacherous in certain 
areas, with strong circular currents posing a danger to passing ships. 

Islands in the area are also a key habitat for the giant, aggressive and 
carnivorous Komodo lizards, which are also known to be competent swimmers . 

Agence France-Presse quoted the head of the Labuhanbajo harbor on the western 
tip of Flores, Pariman, as questioning why none had spotted the boat carrying 
illegal migrants despite the busy boat traffic in the area. 

Indonesia has increasingly become a stepping stone for migrants from troubled 
regions in the Middle East and Asia seeking a better life in Australia. But the 
long Indonesian coastline and limited funds for patrols have made the border 
porous.


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