60 Minutes releases story online

60 Minutes releases story online

In what would have to be a first for the program 60 Minutes has by passed it’s traditional method and released a story entirely online.

Entitled  Cash for Boats reporter Michael Usher answers the super important question of  Did an Australian official pay people smugglers to take dozens of asylum seekers back to Indonesia?

In this investigation, 60 Minutes reveals the truth about what happened on the high seas. The program has travelled to the remote island of Rote, to examine the evidence and hear from the key players.

 The Captain of the people smuggling vessel tells 60 Minutes he and his crew were paid $5,000 U-S each, to cooperate and turn their boat around. He says the payment was made by a plain clothed Australian man on board a border security vessel.

The 65 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Burma, tell 60 Minutes, they were transferred on to two smaller boats and deliberately given only enough diesel to make for Rote Island.

 The Rote Island Police Chief tells 60 Minutes it’s the first time people smugglers have been directly paid to take asylum seekers back to Indonesia.

 General Endang Sunjaya, the Nusa Tenggara Timur Police Chief, labels the payment a bribe, and says Australia’s actions are illegal. He predicts a new wave of people smugglers attempting dangerous sea voyages, in the hope they’ll be intercepted and paid handsomely to turn around.

60 Minutes airs 8:30 PM Sundays on Nine

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *