The case of SIEV Lockhart relates to the Indonesian vessel 'Mulla Abadi' that brought 151 smuggled migrants of Afghan, Iraqi, and Iranian background from Indonesia to Australia. The vessel was intercepted by Australian authorities near Ashmore Reef on 26 November 1999. The six Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart, one of them a juvenile, were later charged and convicted for their involvement in this venture.
At least four of the crew, Messrs Lapati, Mawar, Hasan, and Rano, had been promised IDR 3 million for their involvement in bringing the smuggled migrants to Australia. They each received a downpayment of IDR 750,000 before leaving for Australia but never received the balance of the promised payment.
ИндонезияАвстралияJuvenile Court
This trial relates to Mr Rinaldy Ranno, the sole juvenile accused in this case. He was listed for a guilty plea on 3 December 1999. His sentence was suspended. Further information about these proceedings and details about the sentence were not available at the time of writing.
Mr Ranno's sentence was suspended and he was removed from Australia on 11 December 1999.
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
This was the trial against Kenny Badi.
Kenny Badi was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment.
Supreme Court of the Northern Terrirtory
This trial involves four of the adult accused in this case. All four men were found guilty and were sentenced on 12 October 2000.
Justice Gallop noted that each of the co-accused expected that they would be apprehended and jailed, however went ahead with the journey because the money they were promised for the venture was more than they could have earned in years of subsistence fishing in Indonesia.
Mawar, Hasan, Lapiti and Rano were all sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.
Justice Gallop set Mr Lapati's non-parole period to 12 months because of his 'age and lack of sophistication'. Mr Lapati was considered to be of indeterminate age but it was noted that he was old enough to remember when his island was invaded by Japan.
In sentencing, Justice Gallop took into account the fact that each of the accused had spent nearly a year in remand. His Honour also noted that each of the co-accused were 'poor people who had been exploited'.
24 of the 151 migrants were children. 132 were Afghan, 18 Iraqi and 1 Iranian.
146 of them were granted refugee status/asylum. 5 were deported.
Mr Mawar was from Roti Island, Indonesia. He had no prior history of involvement in migrant smuggling.
Mr Hasan was from Roti Island, Indonesia. He had no prior history of involvement in migrant smuggling.
Mr Lapati was from Roti Island, Indonesia. He had no prior history of involvement in migrant smuggling.
Mr Rano was from Roti Island, Indoensia, where he was married and had one child. He had no prior history of involvement in migrant smuggling.
Four of the crew members on board SIEV Lockhart, Messrs Lapati, Mawar, Husin, and Rano, gave evidence that they had received the downpayment for their payment for their involvement in the venture from a man known as 'Nardos' that they had no met before. Nardos had told them that their families would receive the balance of their payments upon the successful delivery of the smuggled migrants to Ashmore Reef, however the crew members said that their families never heard from Nardos after the departure of SIEV Lockhart.
Mr Badi was the captain of the vessel referred to as SIEV Lockhart by Australian authorities.
Mr Mawar was one of the Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart. He was promised IDR 3 million for his involvement in bringing the smuggled migrants to Australia. He received a downpayment of IDR 750,000 before leaving for Australia but never received the balance of the promised payment.
Mr Hasan was one of the Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart. He was promised IDR 3 million for his involvement in bringing the smuggled migrants to Australia. He received a downpayment of IDR 750,000 before leaving for Australia but never received the balance of the promised payment.
Mr Hasan faced the same charges as Mr Mawar.
Mr Lapati was one of the Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart. He was promised IDR 3 million for his involvement in bringing the smuggled migrants to Australia. He received a downpayment of IDR 750,000 before leaving for Australia but never received the balance of the promised payment. He faced the same charges as Mr Hasan.
Mr Rano was one of the Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart. He was promised IDR 3 million for his involvement in bringing the smuggled migrants to Australia. He received a downpayment of IDR 750,000 before leaving for Australia but never received the balance of the promised payment. He faced the same charges as Mr Hasan.
Mr Ranno was the only juvenile among the Indonesian crew members on board SIEV Lockhart. He faced the same charges as Mr Hasan.
This entry was copied from The Migrant Smuggling Case Database, launched by the University of Queensland Migrant Smuggling Working Group in August 2013.
