The man who captained an asylum-seeker boat that was turned back to Indonesia says he negotiated a $US32,000 payment from an Australian official.

Yohanis Humiang has told a court in Rote: 'The money was given because I asked the Australian officer to give me some money to start a business.'

He negotiated with an Australian official known as Agus for between 15 and 30 minutes before heading back to Indonesia, he said.

Yohanis and five others who shared the payment are on trial on people-smuggling charges that carry a penalty of a minimum of five years and a maximum of 15 years' jail.

Crew member Marthen Karaeng told the court about the scene when they arrived 100 metres off Landu Island.

The water was six metres deep and they needed to 'save the lives' of many of the 65 people who had paid smugglers to get them to New Zealand.

'The weather was not good, the wind blowing strong,' he said.

'After saving myself, I asked people on land to help the immigrants, especially one woman who was pregnant.

'Women immigrants were screaming, causing panic on the boat.

'If the boat had hit a rock, the situation would've been worse.'

Also on trial is the one person arrested for recruiting the crew, Sri Lankan Vishvanathan Thineskumar, alias Kugan.

Speaking through a Tamil translator, he told the court on Wednesday: 'I just met Yohanis and the others when I was in Rote Ndao Police Station.'

The crew reacted angrily in court.

'He's lying,' Yohanis said. 'We always communicated either by SMS or by phone.'

Marthen demanded he speak Indonesian.

'He's lying if he says he can't use Bahasa Indonesia,' he said.

National Police investigator Agus Widodo said Thineskumar had been on their radar since 2013 and was arrested in Jakarta in June after he was named in this case.

'Thineskumar is also the agent who was preparing logistics, boats and recruiting the immigrants and other suspects who have been arrested by the police,' he said.

The trial continues next week, when the prosecutors will make their sentencing request for the crew.

AAP