Blake friend held over weapon cache

By LOUISA CLEAVE

A yachtsman with strong ties to New Zealand is being held by Indonesian authorities after a cache of guns was found on board his ship in Bali.

Chris Packer, who helped to turn Auckland-based Southern Spars into the world's biggest mastmaker and built masts for New Zealand's 1995 America's Cup-winning team, was carrying the guns for protection against pirates, said friends.

They said Mr Packer started carrying the weapons after Sir Peter Blake, a friend, was murdered by pirates in Brazil in 2001.

Two of Mr Packer's crew, New Zealanders Kenneth Brewster and Trevor Morris, gave police statements and were released.

A Foreign Affairs spokesman said they were "free to go about their business".

Officials swarmed over Mr Packer's Cook Islands-registered boat, Lissa Avatiu, in Benoa Harbour and confiscated four rifles, a handgun and more than 2700 rounds of ammunition.

He sat stony-faced under police guard while officers accompanied by his lawyer searched the boat on Saturday.

Last night, Mr Packer told TVNZ: "It's right over the top. Ridiculous. The whole ship has been turned upside down, with people with machine guns wandering all over it."

The guns were not declared on the advice of an agent in Indonesia.

"We said to our agent we have guns and he just looked at me and said, 'No don't', like, 'Say you haven't got them' and we thought, 'Cool, if that's the way they do it'."

Mr Packer still has business links with New Zealand and is a member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

The 52-year-old South African-born man from Perth has spent the past four years sailing the world on the Lissa Avatiu, a 50m ex-freighter.

Police said they received a tip-off on Thursday that Mr Packer might have up to 10 guns on board.

Police Senior Superintendent Antonius Samuel Reniban said the boat had stopped in the harbour for provisions and fuel.

Intelligence sources had alerted police after the boat left the harbour that there might be firearms on board. Police made chase and ordered the boat back to port after a preliminary search.

Mr Reniban said Mr Packer did not have a licence for the confiscated guns and had not registered them with Indonesian authorities.

Mr Packer claimed they were for protection and hunting and said he had a receipt showing he had declared the guns in New Caledonia and Australia.

"Why, if there are only five guns so far, have we found ammunition that does not match these weapons?" Mr Reniban said at the port.

If charged with possessing illegal firearms under Indonesian law, Mr Packer faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

He can be held for up to 60 days without being charged.

The ship's log showed Mr Packer intended to sail through the highly dangerous Malacca Strait, infamous for pirates, to the resort of Langkawi in Malaysia.

New Zealander Mr Morris, based on the Gold Coast, said he had joined the crew a month ago and was shocked at the discovery.

"I didn't know there were any guns on board."

Family friend John McGlue said Mr Packer had carried guns on every voyage since Sir Peter Blake's murder three years ago.

Dangerous waters

Malacca Strait between Indonesia and Malaysia, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, is notorious for pirates.

About 600 vessels and 11 million barrels of oil pass through the strait each day, and piracy is increasing.

The International Maritime Bureau says 28 ships were attacked in the strait last year, up from 16 in 2002.

The latest weekly report from the bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre warns ships to avoid anchoring along the Indonesian coast of the straits. "[The] coast near Aceh is particularly risky for hijackings," the report says.


- additional reporting: the West Australian, AP, AAP.