Death boat log of search queried
11.05.2007
THE Immigration Department has questioned the veracity of entries in Queensland Police logs of its search for the Malu Sara, which sank in the Torres Strait in 2005, killing five.
Police have been ordered to provide copies of any handwritten notes and other material that were the source of typed police search and rescue logs.
Ralph Devlin SC, for the Immigration Department, told a directions hearing of the coronial inquest there were ``various indications'' in the typewritten QPS SAR log contained in the police brief ``that it was not a contemporaneous document''.
``It is constructed in a way which strongly suggests that it was compiled after the event from other sources,'' he said. ``Consequently, in order that the inquest can fully understand the factors which were in play at the relevant time, and not just as a matter of judgment in hindsight, it is important that those contemporaneous notes be discovered for analysis and consideration by the parties.''
The Malu Sara, a 6.5m aluminium centre console vessel, was one of six provided to Torres Strait Islanders employed by the Immigration Department as MMO's (Movement Monitoring Officers) in their border protection role.
The inquest had been told the vessels were unseaworthy -- they had no inbuilt buoyancy, were not watertight, and the scuppers on the self-draining decks were below water level when the boats were at anchor.
The skipper of the Malu Sara, Ted Baira, was ordered by a senior Immigration officer to drive the vessel 74km across open waters from Saibai to Badu Island on the afternoon of October 14, 2005 despite having no licence and with no training on the newly-supplied boat.
Within a short time, Baira reported that he was lost in fog. The Malu Sara was not equipped with a chart, a global positioning system, marine radio or a depth-sounder, and had only a manually operated bilge pump and a compass.
Queensland Police on Thursday Island took control of the situation after 7 pm on October 14, and although Baira activated the emergency beacon and the five on board were told to don life jackets, no rescue aircraft or boats were sent to assist.
More than 80 satellite telephone calls were made between Baira and police on Thursday Island until 2.15 the next morning when Baira said they were ``taking water and sinking fast''. It took more than four hours to get a rescue boat from Thursday Island to the last-known position of the Malu Sara.
State Coroner Michael Barnes ordered that source material for the logs be provided.
The inquest resumes on Thursday Island on August 20.
