REFUGEE

by Alex Whisson
On last night's Indymedia Radical Radio Show, Alex, spokesperson for the 260 Tamil asylum seekers on board the ship moored at Merak port in West Java, revealed that a woman falsely claiming to be a representative of the Australian government had gained access to the boat.
Alex told Indymedia, "There was an Australian woman who falsely claimed herself to be a representative of the Australian Embassy and she was the first [person] the Indonesian police brought on board the vessel...however, she was unable to provide us with any ID and the lady did confirm later on that she was not a representative of the Australian Embassy. The Indonesian police should [investigate] to find out what's going on."

The revelation is potentially explosive and raises a whole series of questions: why did the Indonesian authorities allow the woman to board the vessel without official identification? Who was she? What business did she have boarding the ship? Is there a possibility she was acting covertly on behalf of the Australian Federal Police or the Australian Secret Intelligence Service?

This information has not been revealed in any other media outlet and demands an immediate investigation given the distinct possibility the woman in question was spying on the asylum seekers on behalf of the Australian government.

Alex further revealed that no officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees have yet boarded the boat, but did inform Indymedia the international agency had sent the group an email "With regard to the group in Merak, [the] UNHCR is ready to go register them and assess their international protection needs if requested to do so [by the Indonesian government]. However, we have not yet received such a request."

The full interview can be listened to at the following address (click on the link for Monday October 19th and scroll through to the first interview): http://www.rtrfm.com.au/shows/indymedia