Indonesia fines Australians for illegal entry

JAKARTA: Indonesia has fined the Australian pilots of an aircraft that landed illegally in remote Papua province, officials said Wednesday.

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.

Merauke airport chief Herson told AFP the 28.6-million-rupiah (3,000-dollar) fine was paid by the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

“We impose an administrative penalty for any illegal flight in Indonesian territory,” he said.

The Australians, who say they were on a private sightseeing trip to the restive eastern province, are being kept under tight police guard at a local hotel.

“They are still being questioned today,” Merauke immigration office chief Freddy Manus said.

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 without special permits are barred from the region.