Abbott boat plan causes concern in Jakarta

A SENIOR Indonesian police official has voiced concerns about Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s plan to turn back all asylum-seeker boats, warning the policy ignores Australia’s international obligations.

National Police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said Indonesia was bound by international regulations and Australia was too.

“For asylum seekers, I think we can’t just send them away, we have to send them to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). I think Australia is also bound by this regulation,” Inspector-General Nasution said.

“There’s international regulation on it and no one can ignore that.” Read more