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Indonesian navy detains
and questions crews of Australian ship over weapons
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The
Associated Press
Thu
Jul 11,11:17 AM ET |
Indonesian navy detains and
questions crews of Australian ship over weapons
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia's
navy has detained an Australian ship and its crew after allegedly
finding guns and ammunition on the vessel which was anchored in
the religious-violence-wracked Maluku islands, an official said
Thursday.
The ship, MV. Alfred Nobel, was found
moored Wednesday near the Christian village of Amuhusu on Ambon
island, navy chief Col. Buyung Lalana said.
He said the vessel was towed to
Halong naval base, just east of Maluku capital Ambon, after
authorities found three rifles and 134 bullets on board.
"Its Australian skipper John
Kevin and three Indonesian are being detained for
questioned," Lalana said. "Preliminary investigations
found they don't have complete documents."
The state Antara news agency
reported that the ship was carrying out a survey in the area on
the marine life.
The report quoted the ship's agent
as saying the guns and ammunitions were intended for self-defense
and that the captain, Kevin, had already once been robbed in
Indonesian waters.
The unnamed agent said the weapons
had been registered with customs officials and sealed in a box.
The Maluku islands, 2,600
kilometers (1,600 miles) east of Jakarta, which was known as the
Spice Islands during Dutch colonial rule, have been wracked by
violence between Muslims and Christians since 1999.
Nearly 9,000 people have been
killed and thousands more left homeless.
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