(image credit: Rob Jan)
From The Guardian:
Indonesia confirmed on Thursday that it was investigating allegations that an Australian official paid the captain and crew of an intercepted boat carrying about 65 asylum seekers about US$30,000 ($39,000) to turn back to Indonesia in late May.http://www.theguardian.com/......
In an interview on Friday, Abbott refused to confirm or deny the allegations, and also avoided committing the Australian government to launching its own investigation.
“What we are doing is saving life at sea. We are defending our national sovereignty, we are protecting our country from the evil trade of people smuggling, and by hook or by crook we will do what is necessary to keep our country safe and to keep this evil trade stopped,” he told 3AW, while declining to comment on operational details.