According to immigration officials, 14 Iranian nationals have been found stranded by local fishermen in Hindia Ocean, near Meulaboh city, Aceh Province, due to a broken oil pump.
“The boat shut down at the 04° 26′ 616 N 064° 22′ 488 E coordinates in Maldives waters, and was adrift in Meulaboh waters (in West Aceh district), with 15 mil distances to the nearest land. The broken vessel will be checked and repaired by the port’s mechanics,” the Meulaboh Immigration Office’s Head of Technology, Information, and Communication, Adi Hari Pianto, said.
The boat which carried no permits, documents, or a flag, was tugged by a local motorboat to Meulaboh Port.
The 14 Iranian aboard nationals have been identified as Lal Muhammad, Annar, Al Abbas, Abdullah, Mohammad Rafiq, Abdul Nasir, Abdullah Fariziq, Jawi, Ismail, Muhammad Rafiq, Nathim, Adam, Syahaqi, and Amir Muhammad, according to immigration’s initial probe.
However, the Indonesian authorities will contact their counterparts at the Embassy of Iran to confirm the identities of the sailors, while the Meulaboh Immigration Office is still checking their travel documents to Indonesia.
Apart from the embassy, the Meulaboh Immigration Office will also request support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for an interpreter, as none of the local officers speaks Persian, to gain more information from the 14 Iranians.
Source: Antara News
Image: Line Today