Extract from National Press Club Address by
Dr Allan Hawke
19 June 2002

First let me say that there was no conspiracy and there is no conspiracy in relation to what has become known as SIEVX.

Intelligence is not an accurate science. The intelligence that we got about this vessel says that it was reported to have sailed six times from as early as August 2001. No specific confirmation of departure from Indonesian waters was ever received. All public statements that have been made on SIEVX have been based on the best available intelligence at the time.

The report that a vessel had sunk was received by the ADF on 23rd October 2001. No distress signals were ever picked up from this vessel and regardless of whether the vessel sank in Indonesian waters or on the high seas, if the Australian Defence Force commanders had known that this vessel was foundering then assistance would have been rendered as they have always done...

Let me make the point first of all that SIEVX is 'X' because it didn't have a number. It didn't have a number because we didn't know about it... It was never SIEV8. SIEVX because 'X' it wasn't ten, it wasn't SIEV10 as some people seem to think. The fact is that nobody knows where the boat sank. And as far as I am aware, the information I have is that we did not know that it had sailed...

As far as I am aware we still have no concrete evidence about where it sunk. I specifically checked this point this morning with the ADF and they've told me that no-one knows where it sank. They would be able to give you... quite a big area on a map where it might have but as far as I am aware nobody knows where it did actually sink...

Journalist: So the position.. is as far as the ADF is concerned it could have sunk in the Sunda Strait, it could have sunk in Indonesian waters or it could have sunk in international waters?

Hawke: That's correct...

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