Merged: Five Aussies arrested in Papua

[Two_dogs]

From Brisbane Times

Five Aussies arrested in Papua
September 15, 2008 - 6:07AM


Indonesia has arrested five Australians for illegally entering the sensitive easternmost province of Papua, an airport official said today.
The five Australians - two women and three men - flew from Australia in a light aircraft and landed illegally on Friday at Mopah airport in the Merauke district of Papua province, the head of the airport, Herson, said.
"They have been in an isolation room at the immigration office since Friday," said Herson, who like many Indonesians only uses one name.
The five were identified as pilots William Henry Scott Bloxam and Vera Scott Bloxam, and their passengers Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Mortimer.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed that Mr Scott Bloxham was from Melbourne.
Indonesia clamps tight restrictions on travel to Papua, where a small guerrilla force has been waging a low-level separatist insurgency since the 1960s.
Journalists are barred from the region without special permits.
"They have no data approval nor security clearance required for landing here. They also have no visa and their passports are already expired," said Herson.
Currently the group are staying in a local hotel and remain under Indonesian supervision.
The head of the air force in Merauke, Muhammad Somin, told AFP the five Australians said they wanted to visit the area as tourists and had planned to fly home on Monday.
Herson said the Australian embassy in Jakarta was working to prepare all the necessary documents to allow their release.

With Scott Casey

[planemad_bk]

Didn't know Vera was a pilot.....:rolleyes:

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Bill Bloxam? Now that name rings a very distant bell. Police Air Wing 1977?

[ops_are_normal]

One of the funniest things I've ever heard! Especially the co-pilot bit, wish we could all have office girls as co-pilots when we felt like it. :rolleyes:

[Jabawocky]

How naive can you be to think you can just drop in like that.......its not Uncle Bobs farm ya know!:rolleyes:

[18-Wheeler]

Say gidday to Scotty for me - Hope he's got a beer handy.

[planemad_bk]

You'd be surprised, Jaba! :=:ok:

[Two_dogs]

Anyone have any news of how Scotty and Co are fairing. I do know Scott and Vera and am a bit concerned for their welfare. I hope they are home soon and telling of their ordeal. To add to his woes I also heard a rumour that Cape Air has suspended all flights due to the Chief Pilot not being in a position to exercise his responsibilities. Is Scotty the Chief Pilot or does someone else hold this position?

I must admit I'm not surprised to hear of Scotty in this predicament as he always was a bit colourful.
I have done a search and found this in the Australian, Thur 18th Sept. The six month detention does not sound too good. Anything is possible in these parts I guess.


FIVE Australians held in Indonesia's politically sensitive region of Papua since Friday have been fined 28.6million rupiah ($3820) and moved into an immigration jail cell while authorities decide whether to charge or deport them.
Former airline pilot William Scott-Bloxam, his wife and co-pilot Vera Scott-Bloxam and their friends Hubert Hofer, Keith Mortimer and Karen Burke were arrested on their arrival at Mopah airport in the Papuan backwater of Merauke on Friday.
Indonesian authorities said the group had no visas or correct flight documentation for their twin-engined light aircraft, after flying from Horn Island in the Torres Strait.
They were held for four nights in the town's Asmat Hotel, before being moved on Tuesday to the holding cells at the local immigration office.
"They were moved to make the investigation easier," Merauke immigration chief Freddy Manus said. "The results will be reported to the director-general (in Jakarta) to take further steps, including deportation."
According to a local journalist, at least three of the group -- both women and one of the men -- were beginning to show signs of stress.
The fine imposed was only for the aircraft landing without proper documentation, and the group will face further penalties if the authorities decide to charge them with breaching Indonesian immigration law.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the embassy in Jakarta was working with the Indonesian authorities in an effort to sort out documentation for the five.
"The embassy is in regular communication with the five Australians to ensure their welfare is safeguarded," he said. "Two embassy officials have travelled to Merauke and are providing assistance to the five Australians on the ground."
Susan Skyvington, whose son Saul Dalton was detained in Papua for six months in 1999, said the similarities with her son's case were chilling.
"In the first few days he was under house arrest in a hotel and (we were told) we were going to be able to get him out in a few days ... when the documents were sorted out.
"Then they were saying he was not going to be released, they were going to put him through a trial and he was moved to a military police outstation in the jungle."
Mr Dalton, then 25, had gone to East Timor to hand out how-to-vote cards during the referendum on independence from Jakarta. Indonesian-backed militias were intimidating independence supporters at the time and took a dim view of foreigners participating in the political process.
Ms Skyvington said that when violence erupted her son boarded a ferry to Papua to escape, and was told he could sort out his documentation when he arrived. In Papua, he was put to trial and given 10months' jail, which was reduced for good behaviour. He ended up spending six months in detention.
Ms Skyvington said that her son had never fully recovered from the experience, and now suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Jabawocky]

Be Careful which Island you land on north of TI......... :uhoh:

From ninemsn today


Four Australians have each been jailed for two years for illegally entering Indonesia's Papua province.
The group was also fined 25 million rupiah ($A3,400), which could be exchanged for another two months imprisonment.
Vera Scott-Bloxam, 54, Hubert Hufer, 57, Karen Burke, 51, and Keith Ronald Mortimer, 60, were sentenced in Merauke District Court on Thursday, following a trial.
The group was accused of entering Indonesia illegally, after travelling to Papua on a small plane from Horn Island, off the tip of Queensland's Cape York on September 12.
The Australians have described it as a sightseeing flight and mistakenly believed they could get visas on arrival in Papua.
The pilot, William Scott-Bloxam, was later jailed for three years and fined 50 million rupiah ($A6,800) by Merauke District Court in Papua.
The fine could be exchanged for an extra three months imprisonment, the court ruled.
Following the verdict Vera Scott-Bloxam expressed disbelief.
"I can't believe this, I will let the lawyers deal with this," she said.
The group's lawyer Efrem Fangohoy flagged an appeal.
"We clearly reject this decision and we will go for an appeal," he said.
Papua province has been troubled by a low-level separatist insurgency since the 1960s.
Journalists are barred from entering Papua without special permission, and human rights groups have accused the Indonesian military of widespread human rights abuses there.

[blueys]

A court in Merauke today handed down a judgment to a lovable larrikin of the far north that beggars belief,met the bugger in Kuwait ,many sun downers,sure he should have had a GD,but to cop 3 years is a joke. KRUD and his cronies need to intervene

[Unhinged]

Scotty used to fly internationally for a living and he knows the rules thoroughly. He knowingly flew into a restricted area of a sovereign country without permission, valid passports or visas.

When people arrive in Australia this way, we call them boat people, bang them up without trial for a few years, and then bill them for the privilege.

I feel very sorry for the other people on the flight, but Scotty knew exactly what he was doing.

[Capt Claret]

And what should KRUD and his cronies do?

Whilst I agree, that on the surface a gaol sentence, given the explanation that he gaolees believed they could get a visa on arrival, seems extreem. Indonesia is a sovereign state. KRUD and his cronies have no weight against their legal system, as the Indonesian PM and his cronies have no weight against ours.

[Trojan1981]

Indonesia is a sovereign state

True, but they did invade another one (West Papua) and are currently fighting resistance forces there.
This might have a lot more to do with the part of Indonesia in which they landed.

[Captain Sand Dune]

True, but they did invade another one (West Papua) and are currently fighting resistance forces there.
This might have a lot more to do with the part of Indonesia in which they landed.
All the more reason to be extra careful with one's pre-flight planning!:eek:
I agree the response by the Indonesians is a little harsh, but it's their country after all.
Fully concur with Capt. Claret. Not really much the Federal Govt can do. Every time an Australian national f**ks up overseas, it always produces the same futile bleating about the Govt doing "something" (they never say what exactly!) to fix it. What happened to being responsible for one's own actions?!:hmm:

[Unhinged]

are currently fighting resistance forces there.

Which should make it pretty obvious that you're not going to get visas on arrival

[Torres]

I agree the response by the Indonesians is a little harsh, but it's their country after all.

It seems no different to what Australia would do with illegal immigrants in similar circumstances - which may account for the sentences?

With the pilot's years of experience in PNG, the Torres Strait and other parts of the world, I can't believe he thought he'd get away with it? Seems a very stupid decision.

The Australian Government will offer Consular assistance but they can not intervene in another country's legal system.

[max1]

The illegals who come here also want to stay here.
They are locked up here pending their appeals to stay ( I don't wish to get into the morality/ethics of this ).
Even if someone lobs into KSA with a valid tourist visa, but Customs suspects that they are trying to immigrate illegally they will deport them. Not lock them up for years (unless they try to claim refugee status).
I would be pretty sure these five weren't trying to jump the queue to emigrate to West Papua. I would also be reasonably certain that they won't be tying up the Indonesian Courts for years trying fighting an extradition order.
Maybe confiscate the aircraft, give them a hefty fine and kick them out would send a warning to others.
Three years in an Indo jail is excessive.

[Torres]

Max.

The offense is illegal entry. It is not illegal to want to live in another country. The motive is irrelevant.

I agree the sentence is excessive, but so also is seven years on Nauru.

I can't believe the pilot did not know the risk he was taking.

[the wizard of auz]

When people arrive in Australia this way, we call them boat people, bang them up without trial for a few years, and then bill them for the privilege

Boat people are held until they are processed before being returned. Processed usually includes several attempts at gaining asylum at the government expense, as well as the cost of keeping them. they enter the country with the intention of staying here. they also enter the country with the intention of living in the community and not inputting via tax, so they use facilities we have to pay for, along with the diseases they carry into the country with them and the goods they bring with them.
Hardly a comparison to group of people that are visiting with the intention of leaving and contributing to the economy. :ugh:

[Whiskery]

Every time an Australian national f**ks up overseas, it always produces the same futile bleating about the Govt doing "something" (they never say what exactly!) to fix it. What happened to being responsible for one's own actions?!

Couldn't agree more with you Sand Dunes! Nguyen Tuong Van & Schapelle Corby to name just two. :*

The other thing that gets up my goat, along the same lines, is when there is a flood (Fiji) or anti-government protest resulting in airline disruptions (Bangkok). All the PINKOS scream for the government to send aircraft to the rescue.

GET OVER IT. Travel at your own peril. Make contingency plans in case something goes wrong. Some of these dopes must still be getting Mummy to wipe their sorry asses for them! :mad:

hat...coat....door.....................!!!!!

[Trojan1981]

It does seem an odd thing for such an experienced person to do:hmm:.
Sentence is exessive no matter which way you look at it. The gov can put diplomatic pressure on Indonesia due to the large amount of aid they recieve from Australia each year.
Believe it or not Rudd does have enough influence to make a difference in these situations. I agree about taking responsibilty for your own actions, however. Fiji is a good example. Relations became very frosty following the latest coup and have not substantially improved. You go there at your own risk.

[Guava Tree]

The punishment is very harsh when anyone, who wants to see, can see that this arrival was a genuine mistake or at least only a misdemeanour.
If Australian diplomacy cannot help these five then they should apply for political asylum on the basis of having fled from a failed state and scream to the human rights organisations for help.

[Podunk]

Well, Scottie's Pidjin is FLUENT..... maybe he would have a chance.

Ever heard his pidjin version of "T'was the night before christmas"? Facking hilarious. :}

[TWT]

I was in (on ?) Nauru when the Tampa arrived to disgorge its wide-eyed,travel weary passengers as part of the 'Pacific Solution'.A crew from A Current Affair showed up sans visas and were deported on the spot.Even a tiny country with only 1 set of traffic lights (to allow the national carrier's 737 to cross the road and taxi to to the terminal) has entry rules.

I never travel overseas without checking the current visa requirements thoroughly,even from Oz to NZ. Attempting to talk your way in to a country on arrival without the necessary stamp in your passport is not one of my hobbies.

[NAMPS]

I feel sorry for the unsuspecting passengers. Bill should have known better...

Welcome to Indonesia - your jail cell awaits

A weekend flight for three days of adventure has landed five Australians in jail, write Harriet Alexander on Thursday Island and Lisa Murray in Jakarta.

It was another languid Saturday lunchtime at the Federal Hotel on Thursday Island, 30 kilometres north of Cape York, when an argument broke out between two friends.

Five locals were about to fly to Merauke in the Indonesian province of Papua for a three-day adventure weekend, a few hundred kilometres and a world away from their island lifestyle.

The pilot, William Scott-Bloxam - known as "Scotty" - and his wife, Vera, owned a charter business and wanted to investigate the potential of the area for fishing tours.

To subsidise the cost, they invited a friend, Hubert Hofer, a professional diver and shipwreck enthusiast who worked on a desalination plant, and Keith Mortimer, a builder who had renovated their house and who lived on his yacht, the Monte Cristo.

Mortimer brought along another friend, Karen Burke, a receptionist at the Jardine Motel on Thursday Island, and each paid the Scott-Bloxams $500.

But a week before they set off, an old friend of William Scott-Bloxam's suggested over lunch that the trip may be ill-advised.

Peter Watton had been to Merauke on business in 1999.

"I found the Indonesians to be extremely hostile to our presence there," he said. "I wouldn't go there as an Australian."

But Scott-Bloxam can be prickly about taking advice. "He said there's no problem," Watton recalled. "They had passports. He didn't mention the visas and I just took for granted that they would have got a visa before they went over there."

Watton tells the story cautiously but others remember it differently. The way Bob Slyne, Karen Burke's boyfriend, heard it, Scott-Bloxam was furious. "I've f------ been doing this all my life. Don't tell me I haven't got things organised," he reportedly said. That conversation is still hanging in the air over Timor Strait.

The five flew into Merauke's military base on September 12 and were promptly arrested for entering without visas.

Last week the four passengers were fined and jailed for two years; Scott-Bloxam was fined, sentenced to three years, and his plane confiscated. As one local put it: "It turned out to be a bloody long weekend."

Lawyers and consular officials have told the five jailed Australians the appeals process could take up to six months - and even then there is no guarantee the sentences will be reduced.

Pending the appeal, the five will remain in prison in Merauke. "This was an unbelievable shock to them," said Slyne, who is now in Papua.

"They were led to believe they would get a fine and a three-month jail sentence."

Slyne told the Herald conditions at the jail were "basic but clean".

"The people at the jail are being friendly and locals line up every day to give them food. We have had to limit the number of gifts because we don't want the other inmates to get jealous.

"They can play soccer and walk around in the yard. The conditions are relatively good."

The group's lawyer, Efrem Fangohoy, said Scott-Bloxam planned to give English lessons to the Indonesian inmates.

However, relations between the five Australians are strained as the passengers believe they were misled by their pilot about visa arrangements.

Burke, a seasoned traveller, has told friends she is "very embarrassed" that she made the mistake of trusting Scott-Bloxam to organise visas.

The 51-year-old had been to Indonesia before and enjoyed her trips there. So when an opportunity came along to fly to Papua, a place she knew little about, she jumped at the chance.

Now she is regretting the impulse and is having trouble sharing a cell with Vera Scott-Bloxam, whose husband failed to organise travel documents.

"They were told by the head of an airline that the visas were under control," Slyne said. "He was quite adamant that he knew what he was doing even though they questioned him on a number of occasions."

Burke thought it had sounded right when William Scott-Bloxam had told her a visa could be organised on arrival. In Jakarta, and at Bali's international airport at Denpasar, it is possible to get a visa on arrival. However, the movement of people to and from Papua is heavily restricted by the Indonesian Government, which has been battling a low-level separatist movement.

"Karen … had the opportunity to go to Papua for $500 and she thought 'why not,"' Slyne said. "She faxed off her passport details to the pilot and when she got up there, she was thrown in jail.

"A lot of people have said to Karen 'you should write a book'. But she said 'I'd be so embarrassed admitting what I did. It was just stupid."'

Before leaving for Papua, William Scott-Bloxam contacted Tom Bolser, a pilot who is based in Merauke for the US group Mission Aviation Fellowship.

According to an MAF spokesman, the two did not know each other before the email contact.

Bolser answered some of Scott-Bloxam's questions but he claims that he assumed as an international pilot, the Australian would understand that he was required to submit a flight plan.

Slyne says the email from Bolser, which Karen Burke read after being arrested, was vague and said they "might" be able to get visas on arrival.

Repeated requests for an interview with the Scott-Bloxams, made via their lawyer, have been declined.

Most people on Thursday Island suspect sinister motives on the parts of Jakarta and Canberra, which they hold in almost equal suspicion, in allowing their neighbours such long sentences.

The feisty local newspaper, the Torres News, editorialised that the five's predicament "had nothing to do with visa offences, but is a diplomatic power dispute between a paranoid, oppressive Indonesian Government and successive, gutless Australian governments … The Indonesian Government … are clearly still sulking over the arrival of 43 West Papuans in Australia … and this is a typical tit-for-tat response."

It is a view that finds traction at the Torres Hotel, "Australia's top pub", where Burke used to pop in for a drink after riding her bike from work.

Scott-Bloxam is a controversial figure in the islands, where he stands out from others whose lives revolve around boats and friends by owning a lodge and car hire company in Cooktown and Cape Air Transport on Horn Island. He is described variously as "dry", "abrupt", "stingy", and "grumpy".

"Scotty is a person who hates officialdom - is that a word?" said Bob at the Wongai Hotel on Horn Island. "He believes Australians are overgoverned and he tries to cut corners, and that's what he's done and got these people into a bad situation. But what he's done doesn't deserve three years in jail."

Mortimer's black yacht is still moored off Thursday Island and locals like to point it out before recounting their friend's story. He reminds them of his fate by sending text messages.

"Morning guys," the latest one said. "Cell 12 by 6 … locked in … broken … 16 hours a day living on the floor … rotten shower and toilet … money can get you anything … lobby local member … all well."

Welcome to Indonesia - your jail cell awaits - World - smh.com.au (http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/welcome-to-indonesia--your-jail-cell-awaits/2009/01/25/1232818246353.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3)

[Gordstar]

Thank for your words NAMPS,,,,,,,,,my memory has been jogged about the character of the pilot in question here, and it all makes much more sense now.
Kinda feel sorry for his pax,,,,but then again, they should have smelt a rat.

[Captain Sand Dune]

But Scott-Bloxam can be prickly about taking advice.
Scott-Bloxam was furious. "I've f------ been doing this all my life. Don't tell me I haven't got things organised," he reportedly said. That conversation is still hanging in the air over Timor Strait.
Scott-Bloxam is a controversial figure in the islands, where he stands out from others whose lives revolve around boats and friends by owning a lodge and car hire company in Cooktown and Cape Air Transport on Horn Island. He is described variously as "dry", "abrupt", "stingy", and "grumpy

Well I'm getting a picture here...............:hmm:

[the wizard of auz]

It was the very same day PNG Customs and Police were holding an "exercise" at Daru airport.
last time I was there, about three years ago, they were one and the same guy.
he was a nice guy too. we enjoyed a couple of SP's (supplied by me of course) while all the appropriate stamps were stomped, and then he asked if I could drop his kid of in Kerrima (SP?). I had room and obliged.:ok:
next morning the kid turned up with a bag of stuffs and away we went.
all in all, I received excellent service from both the police and customs...... he was a nice guy. :}:ok:

[Dungdang]

34 Indonesian illegal fishermen jailed. 06/01/2006. ABC News Online (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1543127.htm)

34 Indonesian illegal fishermen jailed

It seems that there seems to be some irritation among indonesian officials that traditional fisherman are supposed to steer clear of Australian economic zones using traditional methods, and are liable to be jailed if trespassing, whereas well-educated australians are expecting only administrative fines trespassing into Indonesia...

Pity the passengers, but they too should have known better.... As Indonesian, I inform myself before applying for a visa to a foreign country... I would never even entertain the possibility just fo fly into Darwin using a light airplane without visa and flight plan.

[Kato747]

All seems to have gone quiet on this thread. Has there been any news on appeals or OzGvt involvement to get these folks home?

[18-Wheeler]

We need to organise air-drops of beer rations to Scotty to help him cope.

I figure a carton every day should get him by.

[Dungdang]

Jakarta Globe (http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/article/11750.html)

Aussie ‘Illegals’ Out of Jail, Await Appeal

Five Australians jailed in Papua Province for entering the country illegally have been released from prison for “humanitarian reasons,” but remain banned from leaving the city of Merauke until their appeals against their convictions are heard.

Controversy surrounds the Merauke District Court’s jailing of pilot William Henry Scott-Bloxam, 62, for three years for landing in the region without the required documents. His passengers — his 54-year-old wife, Vera; Hubert Hufer, 57; Karen Burke, 51; and Keith Ronald Mortimer, 60 — were jailed for two years each.

“They have been in city detention since Friday,” said Efrem Fangohoy, a lawyer for the five.
Fangohoy confirmed that the Australians had requested release because “they are old and frequently sick.”

He also said that William and Vera’s son had died in Australia and the pair were in a state of shock.

“They are staying in a rented house in Merauke while waiting for the appeals process,” Fangohoy said.

In his appeal, Fangohoy argued that under immigration law, Vera Scott-Bloxam should not have been charged since she was acting as a flight attendant.

“We also want an expert witness to testify before the court,” he said.

Scott-Bloxam landed his plane at Merauke’s Mopah Airport on Sep. 12, 2008, thinking they could obtain visas on arrival. They were immediately detained for not having security clearance.
Prosecutors in Merauke District Court charged William Henry Scott-Bloxam with violating aviation law by flying to Indonesia without a permit. The other four were charged with violating immigration law for entering Indonesia without visas.

It was argued in court that the Australians were expecting to obtain visas on arrival, which are available at the country’s major international airports.

[aseanaero]

34 Indonesian illegal fishermen jailed

It seems that there seems to be some irritation among indonesian officials that traditional fisherman are supposed to steer clear of Australian economic zones using traditional methods, and are liable to be jailed if trespassing, whereas well-educated australians are expecting only administrative fines trespassing into Indonesia...

I read a few responses from Indonesians on the Jakarta Post website, the average Indonesian thinks its fair game that they get locked up as we burn the Indo fishing boats.

Australians detained over illegal flight into Papua | The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/26/australians-detained-over-illegal-flight-papua.html)

I think they'll get out once the message gets out that flying into Papua without permission is not acceptable , he may get his plane confiscated though !

[socks and thongs]

I can't talk for all the indo boats coming in to oz waters but a while back I went out with aqis offshore to inspect a recently 'acquired' fishing boat that was found all the way down past Aurukun packed full of indo fishermen. The guy told me one of the first things confiscated was a gps. Probably not one of the 'traditional' navigation methods they'd want you to know about.

As for blox yes he should have done his paperwork but he certainly shouldn't be in jail.

[aseanaero]

As for blox yes he should have done his paperwork but he certainly shouldn't be in jail

Agree it's harsh treatment but I don't think any Oz pilots will try flying to Papua without making SURE their paperwork is in order from now on.

However Indo is VERY sensitive about Papua , had he landed in Bali and not at a military airbase in Papua it would have been a different story.

Actually the fact he did land at an airbase actually helps show his naiveity , if it was a 'spy' flight he would have chosen a remote airfield somewhere.

I think the passengers should have been released immediately.

To put the shoe on the other foot though ... if an Indo registered aircraft had landed at Tindal airbase in NT without filing a flight plan what would happen ? Serious question , would the pilot be told he had made a mistake and be allowed to return to Indo straight away with his plane or would there be involvement from the Federal Police and intelligence services to at least check out that it was an innocent mistake as well as an administrative fine ? Could the aircraft be impounded under Australian law ?

I know of at least 1 light twin that was confiscated by Indonesia coming north from the Philipines with an American on board with no flight plan. I don't know if the guy was put in jail but he lost his plane.

Good argument for using a flight planning service like Jeppesen when transiting Indo airspace and landing at their airports.


TIFY ... thats Indonesia for ya ....

[aseanaero]

The guy told me one of the first things confiscated was a gps

A 10 or 15yr old Garmin GPS is considered 'traditional' because his dad or uncle used it before ...

[I spy]

I shared more than several coldies with Scotty in my time in the Straits. Wasn't too hard to find him..........just walk into the Wong and there he'd be, propping up the bar.

If that's true about their son dying, that would be an awful experience at the best of times, but not being able to attend the funeral etc. would be heart-breaking.

I do think it's harsh, but honestly, he should have known better.

"Dry", "abrupt", "stingy", and "grumpy" - yeah, he could be all those things, but I never experienced them first hand. (I didn't work for him however!)

I do believe that he's one of the few, perhaps the ONLY person on HID to ever get done for drink-driving............ twice

[Trojan1981]

Jailed 'lost' Aussie tourists to come home | World News | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25146383-401,00.html)

Jailed 'lost' Aussie tourists to come home
From correspondents in Denpasar, Bali
AAP
March 05, 2009 10:47pm
Text size
+ - Print Email Share Add to MySpace Add to Digg Add to del.icio.us Add to Fark Post to Facebook Add to Kwoff What are these? AN Indonesian court has overturned the convictions of five Australians sentenced to prison for illegally entering West Papua in a light plane last year.
Pilot William Scott-Bloxam, 62, his wife Vera, 54, and their three friends Karen Burke, 51, Hubert Hofer, 57 and Keith Mortimer, 60, were expected to be deported within days following successful appeals, a spokesperson for the group said.

"The High Court of Jayapura has allowed our client's appeals and ordered them to leave Indonesia immediately,'' said spokesman Mohammad Rifan from Austrindo Law Office.

"We expect they will fly out in their plane once all the paperwork has been finalised, around the middle of next week.

"Our clients are very grateful for the support from the Australian embassy and Government.

"They are now pleased that this matter has been resolved and are looking forward to returning home to their families and resuming their lives.''

The Merauke District Court had jailed Bloxam for three years and fined him 50 million rupiah ($6,500) for flying a small plane into Indonesian airspace without permission on September 12 last year.

Each of his passengers was sentenced to two years jail and given a 25 million rupiah fine ($3250).

The five, who were initially suspected of being foreign spies, were released from a Merauke prison last week to await the outcome of their appeals, after their lawyers requested mercy from the courts.

They were being held under city detention.

As soon as the court paperwork was complete, they were expected to make the one-hour flight back to Horn Island in the Torres Strait, where they had embarked on their ill-fated joy-ride, Rifan said.

The group, from Cape York on Australia's northern tip, had described their trip as a sightseeing flight and mistakenly believed they could get visas on arrival in Papua.

There are strict restrictions placed on visiting Papua, which has been troubled by a low-level separatist insurgency since the 1960s.

Journalists are barred from entering the province without special permission, and human rights groups have accused the Indonesian military of widespread human rights abuses there.

Rifan said the High Court decision upheld the defence argument that the air traffic controller and immigration officers failed in their duties by firstly allowing the plane to land, and secondly allowing them to enter the region.

According to Indonesian law, the planes request for landing approval should have been denied and it should have been ordered out of Indonesian airspace, Rifan said.

[18-Wheeler]

Bloody good news! :)

[aseanaero]

Rifan said the High Court decision upheld the defence argument that the air traffic controller and immigration officers failed in their duties by firstly allowing the plane to land, and secondly allowing them to enter the region.

Good news and he got to keep his plane as well !

[Kato747]

Outstanding News !!!!!!

When's the piss-up, Scotty ?

[sms777]

Quote:
"As soon as the court paperwork was complete, they were expected to make the one-hour flight back to Horn Island in the Torres Strait"


It is good news indeed but who is going to give them a check ride to comply with currency requirements on their aircraft so CASA wont't fine them or send them back due to non complience. :(

[wessex19]

From Today's Sydney Morning Herald...........

Papua interlopers free to go
Tom Allard in Jakarta
March 11, 2009

FIVE Australians trapped in the Indonesian province of Papua for six months and facing lengthy prison terms for illegally entering the country in a small plane have been freed and hope to return home today.

William Scott-Bloxam, the pilot whose idea it was to take a joyflight to the Papuan city of Merauke without a visa in September last year, said he was "very relieved … very, very happy".

"We went for a long weekend and just stayed a bit longer," he joked.

The original decision by Merauke's district court left Mr Scott-Bloxam facing a three-year prison term for immigration offences, while his passengers - his wife, Vera, Hubert Hufer, Karen Burke and Keith Mortimer - faced two-year stretches.

"All of us were absolutely astounded by the original decision. In fact, the whole of Merauke was, all the people who were looking after us. Nobody expected it. People were crying when it happened."

Until that decision in January, the five had been living in relative comfort in a Merauke home after being placed under city arrest. They were then moved to prison while they prepared and then lodged their appeal.

The appeal was successful yesterday after the High Court of Papua found that the trip was innocent and accepted that Mr Scott-Bloxam had told the air-traffic controller at Merauke airport that he and his passengers did not have visas before he was told to land his plane.

Their initial arrest sparked press speculation that the five were being held on suspicion of being spies.

"That was some journalist's imagination," Mr Scott-Bloxam said. "That did not help us at all. We would certainly be a bunch of geriatric spies."

Mr Scott-Bloxam took the journey to Papua after another pilot had told him he did not need to get a visa. "I should have checked," he said, with some understatement.

[Captain Sand Dune]

Muppet.........

[chopper21]

"...If that's true about their son dying, that would be an awful experience at the best of times, but not being able to attend the funeral etc. would be heart-breaking."


Konrad was Scotts son from his first marriage and in fact only met both Scott and Vera for the first time when he was 13yrs old.

Konrad moved to Australia a few years back to try to build a relationship with his father Scott, although unfortunately this never quite worked out.

Konrad tragically died on the 27th January 2009 after fighting for his life for 17 days after breaking his neck and drowning, in a swimming accident. His sister (Scotts daughter), mother and aunty were with him.

[Nazareth]

Papua five's call for help rejected
Tom Allard, Jakarta
March 14, 2009

In legal limbo: William Scott-Bloxam (left), his wife Vera, Keith Mortimer and Karen Burke, with friend Bob Slyney.

ANNOYED, angry and increasingly desperate, the five Australians still stranded in West Papua after six months have called on the Australian Government to send a Customs surveillance plane to whisk them back home.

But the Government rejected the request, saying it could be at least a week before they are granted permission to leave the Indonesian province, despite their acquittal earlier this week by the Jayapura High Court.

William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke have been in detention since September after they took a light plane to West Papua, planning to spend a few days sightseeing and exploring tourist opportunities.

They did not have visas, leading to their arrest for immigration offences, a subsequent guilty verdict and sentences ranging from two to three years in prison and hefty fines.

The sentences were overturned on appeal this week, but the five residents of far north Queensland, aged in their 50s and 60s, remain stuck in West Papua despite originally being told they could make the one-hour journey home to Horn Island in their plane.

Mr Scott-Bloxam's plane is impounded under armed guard because prosecutors said it could be used as evidence in any appeal.

"I'm prepared to leave my plane behind," said Mr Scott-Bloxam, who piloted the aircraft.

"We have asked Canberra through various channels to look at getting us out of here, maybe using one of the surveillance planes they use in the Torres Strait."

A Foreign Affairs Department source confirmed the request but said it was not possible to fulfil it, adding that it could be late next week before the five Australians knew if an appeal would be made to Indonesia's Supreme Court.

Asked if and when an appeal would be lodged, a spokesman for Indonesia's Attorney-General, Jasman Pandjaitan, said: "I think we are still considering it."

As of mid-afternoon yesterday, the Australians were determined to stay at Merauke's airport, fearful they will be arrested if they leave.

This week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith met the Indonesian ambassador in Canberra to press for a quick resolution to the Australians' legal limbo.

Australia's ambassador in Jakarta, Bill Farmer, has also approached senior Indonesian Government officials.

[Kato747]

Any news on their departure from Papua yet?

[Kato747]

I reiterate the question....
:ouch:

They can't still be at the airport.

[Kato747]

Pretty Ironic.... when I returned to this thread to see if there had been any update as to Scott and Vera's plight (not to forget the other 3), there was a flash ad at the bottom of the page inviting everyone to "Explore exotic Papua New Guinea..get your free brochure."

C'mon people, I know the old adage states "out of sight, out of mind"............ Remember Scottie is a friend who has frequentlly given people the shirt off his back...and the occasional "Stubby" from his Eskie (as long as he has a spare to quaff with you)...

Have there been any updates? I have seen nothing in the Indo newspapers and nothing on TV since they were ordered to leave.

WTFO? for those acronyminally chalenged... What the F**K, Over?

[socks and thongs]

The last report mate is that they are still hanging on for the result of the reappeal of the reappeal and on and on......

Keep checking http://www.torresnews.com.au (http://www.torresnews.com.au/) and you'll find they often cover what's going on with the guys. Make sure you have a grain of salt close by though.....

This is the latest from what I found. Fingers crossed not too much longer.

Merauke 5 provide for another 6 months
Sunday, 05 April 2009

Five Torres Strait residents, detained in Indonesia for visa violations, are now expecting to be forced to remain there for up to another six months. "Our information is that any Supreme Court decision could take from four to six months," Karen Burke told the Torres News.
The five have moved from their Merauke Airport and returned to the house where they had been residing previously while awaiting the High Court decision on their appeal against their convictions.
"It’s much more comfortable."
William Henry Scott-Bloxam, 62, was jailed for three years for landing in the region without the required documents on September 12 last year.
His passengers - his 54-year-old wife, Vera; Hubert Hofer, 57; Karen Burke, 51; and Keith Ronald Mortimer, 60 -were jailed for two years each for visa violations.
All have also had financial penalties imposed and Mr and Mrs Scott-Bloxam’s aircraft has been confiscated by the Indonesian authorities.
They had been living in the airport terminal and then a worker’s cottage for more than two weeks after being virtually stopped at the doorstep when returning to Australia. They had refused to leave the airport, fearing they would again be charged with entering Indonesian territory without a visa.
That fear has now abated,
Karen said: "We’re still waiting, just waiting. There’s no news; we’re just waiting."
She said the group is "alright".
"We doing alright; we just wonder if it’s ever going to end.
"We’re just waiting on some positive news so that we can come home."

[Trojan1981]

Rudd assures Papua five will get help (http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/rudd-assures-papua-five-will-get-help-20090529-bpkn.html)

Rudd assures Papua five will get helpMay 29, 2009 - 11:09AM
Australian officials are doing what they can to secure the release of five Australians held in West Papua since last September, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.

Consular staff had provided extensive assistance to the five since shortly after their detention, he said.

"They have maintained a continuous presence in that part of Papua since September 2008 until January 2009 after which ... (they) made frequent visits to the area to check on their welfare," Mr Rudd told Fairfax Radio Network on Friday.

The next visit is due in June.

Australia was working with Indonesian authorities on what Mr Rudd described as a complex case.

The five - pilot William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, and passengers Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke - say they visited West Papua on September 12 last year to investigate tourism opportunities.

They were arrested after landing and charged with immigration offences.

The five were jailed for two to three years, then freed on appeal, but a travel ban was placed on them by Indonesia's attorney-general until prosecutors could appeal to the Supreme Court.

© 2009 AAP

[Fantome]

THE AGE


Indonesian court to fast-track detained Australians' appeal
Tom Allard, Jakarta
May 30, 2009
INDONESIA'S Supreme Court will fast-track the appeal that will decide the fate of five Australians detained in Papua for more than eight months for visa violations, the judge overseeing the case revealed yesterday.

And separately, the court has assured the lawyers for the five North Queensland residents that its deliberations will ignore submissions from prosecutors highlighting Australia's policy of burning Indonesian fishing boats.

In an extraordinary tangle with Indonesian authorities, William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, Karen Burke, Keith Mortimer and Hubert Hofer have been placed under arrest, found guilty and sentenced to two to three years in prison, freed and told to go home, and then placed under city detention.

They are currently awaiting a final appeal by prosecutors, who want their prison terms reinstated for the offence of flying a light plane to Merauke for a sightseeing trip without the proper paperwork.

The pilot, Mr Scott-Bloxam, had submitted one fight plan but not a second plan required for the politically sensitive region of Papua, where a low-level separatist movement has simmered for decades.

He landed the plane after being told by air traffic controllers that he was clear to do so and would only be fined and questioned for the infringement.

"I have told my team to act quickly. I have told them to prioritise the case," Judge Djoko Sarwoko told The Age yesterday.

Judge Sarwoko, who is the most senior of three justices examining the case, had yet to see submissions but said the judges would decide soon. A verdict is expected next month.

Judge Sarwoko's undertaking follows revelations in The Age yesterday that the prosecutor's submission to the Supreme Court slammed Australia's treatment of Indonesian fisherman who breached its territorial waters. Reaffirming their guilt was "in accordance to the law … unlike our neighbouring country who, without legal process, burn and sink Indonesian fishing boats that enter their territorial borders".

The submission highlighted how the case of the so-called Merauke Five has been infected by broader political and diplomatic issues, explaining why prosecutors from the Attorney-General's office are relentlessly pursuing the Australians.

A lawyer for the five Australians, Muhammed Rifan, said he had met Supreme Court justices yesterday.

[socks and thongs]

From Sydney Morning Herald


Indonesian court clears five Australians

Adam Gartrell, South-East Asia Correspondent

June 10, 2009 - 8:09PM
Five middle-aged Australians held for nine months in West Papua for immigration offences have been cleared by Indonesia's Supreme Court, clearing the way for their return home.
The Queenslanders - pilot William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, and passengers Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke - were arrested last September for flying into the troubled Indonesian province without visas or clearance.
Mr Scott-Bloxam was sentenced to three years' jail, and the others to two years.
Their convictions were overturned earlier this year but they were banned from leaving the provincial capital Merauke so that prosecutors could appeal against the acquittals to the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court spokesman Hatta Ali on Wednesday said the court did not agree with the original sentences.
"The judges have refused all appeals from prosecutors," Ali said.
"They (the Australians) are freed."
The group's lawyer, Efrem Fangohoy, said they were very grateful for the decision.
"It is rare to find people who can be just and fair in a situation like this, in a case that involves two countries," he told AAP.
"The judges have been very bold and fair in making their decisions. I'm very proud. This has lifted the nation's dignity."
Once papers have been processed, the group will finally be free to return to Australia, Fangohoy said.
Mark Bousen, a friend of the Australians who has been campaigning for their release, welcomed the decision.
"We've been battling for a while but this is terrific news."
There are strict restrictions placed on visiting Papua, troubled by a low-level separatist insurgency since the 1960s.

© 2009 AAP (http://news.smh.com.au/action/displayCopyrightNotice?sourceOrganisation=AAP)

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

I do hope that 'have been cleared' means that they get to fly home in their own aircraft which was reported earlier as 'confiscated'....

Cheers

p.s. What is the aircraft type guys? Just curious.

[Kato747]

I think it is a Partenavia P68, if memory serves.

[Granny]

No wonder he was prepared to leave his aircraft behind.:)

[Jabawocky]

Yeah.... they jump in it fly back to Horn Island and get ramped with an out of date MR............:uhoh:

Be careful with the enthusiasm to get home is all I can say. 9 months idle and not inhibited......I bet it was not run regularly either.

[Semi Rigid]

He must be a bit troppo to think he was going to get away with just showing up. And an International pilot to boot! Beggars belief. Anyway I hope they get repatriated soon. Nerves would be shot by now.

[Spinnerhead]

I think you will find he was cleared to land by the relevant authorities WITHOUT THE REQUIREMENT OF A VISA. He was then arrested for not having a visa. Good old fashioned Indonesian BS at work.

Good to see the courts threw it all out - giving Indonesia a bit of credibility.

[socks and thongs]

Merauke five could be home within the week

Tom Allard Herald Correspondent in Jakarta

June 17, 2009
AN OFFICIAL from Indonesia's Supreme Court left Jakarta last night for Merauke in Papua carrying the documents granting freedom to the five Australians who have been detained there for nine months.
The unusual method of transporting the documents follows representations by the Australian embassy and paves the way for the long-awaited homecoming later this week of William Scott Bloxam, his wife Vera, Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Mortimer.
The Supreme Court, Indonesia's highest appellate court, last week ruled in favour of the so-called Merauke five, who have been imprisoned, briefly released, then placed under city detention again after flying in a light plane to Merauke from Horn Island in the Torres Strait in September last year. They arrived without visas or a security clearance, but had been cleared to land by air traffic controllers who were aware of their lack of correct paperwork.
The Australians, aged in their 50s and 60s, had offered, mid-air, to return to Horn Island if their lack of permits would be a problem. Their lengthy detention occurred after they became the unwitting victims of a payback row stemming from anger in Indonesia about the sinking and burning of its fishing boats by Australian authorities.
Vera Scott Bloxam yesterday said Australian and Indonesian officials had been working overtime to ensure the ruling by the Supreme Court - the third court which has dealt with their case - led to their return home at the earliest opportunity.
More bureaucratic hurdles will have to be overcome in Merauke but Ms Scott Bloxam said the Australians were hoping they could make the one-hour journey home by the end of the week.
Ms Scott Bloxam said an Australian consular officer had been in Merauke since the verdict, working with local officials and doing a "fantastic" job.
The five had previously expressed their deep disappointment with the Australian Government's ineffective efforts to secure their release for so long.

[aseanaero]

This whole story has played out like an unfunny version of ' Gilligan's Island ' , hope this time they aren't disappointed again.

Good luck guys and gals :ok:

[YPJT]

Do we still get to burn illegal Indonesian fishing boats? ::}

[Section28- BE]

Ex the Courier Mail website:
Merauke Five' fly out of Papua

Article from: AAP
From correspondents in Jakarta
June 24, 2009 10:31am

FIVE Australian tourists trapped in Papua for the past nine months have finally flown out of the troubled Indonesian province.
The Queenslanders - pilot William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, and passengers Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke - flew their light aircraft out of the Papuan town of Merauke this morning.
The quintet took off at about 07:45am local time (08:45 AEST), bound for Horn Island, in the Torres Strait.
Arrested last September for entering Papua without visas or proper clearance, the Australians were later sentenced to harsh prison terms.
Their convictions were dismissed by Indonesia's Supreme Court earlier this month.
But the group was the forced to wait another fortnight while Indonesia's bureaucracy finalised the paperwork for their release.
The group travelled to Papua to look into tourism opportunities and planned to spend only a weekend there, before their sojourn turned into a nightmare.
Papua has been troubled by a low-level separatist insurgency since the 1960s and strict restrictions apply for visitors, particularly journalists.

[blueys]

Merauki 5 back on Australian soil at TI

[Like This - Do That]

The quintet took off at about 07:45am local time (08:45 AEST), bound for Horn Island, in the Torres Strait.

"... for Horn Island, in the Torres Strait, where they were met by CASA officials wanting to confirm that the pilot had completed 3 takeoffs and 3 landings within the last 90 days ....." :}

Sorry - it was the first thing I though of! Crikey.

welcome home folks

[Jabawocky]

You beat me to it!

And while they were at it, a quick ramp check of the plane, the MR............. ohhh dear:uhoh: Maybe staying in Papua was a better idea!:eek:

J

[Two_dogs]

Welcome back Scotty. :ok:

[socks and thongs]

Indeed. Welcome back :)