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Indonesians fire on Afghan refugees
Indonesian authorities opened fire on a boat crammed full of Afghan asylum seekers, wounding two, after demanding a bribe the Afghans could not afford to pay, one of the asylum seekers says.
The 17-year-old boy, who spoke from immigration detention in West Timor, says the group of 61 Afghans had been on the water for four days, trying to reach Australia, when the Indonesian coast guard intercepted them.
After the coast guard demanded a $50,000 bribe, the Afghans handed over all their money and were allowed to proceed, the boy said. But half an hour later they were stopped by another coast guard boat, the crew of which asked for more money.
Because they could not pay, the Indonesians told them they had to stop their boat.
But the Afghans, who believed they were then in international waters, decided to continue.
"Without any announcement, without saying anything, they started shooting," said the boy, who does not want to be named.