Another Lankan boat to Christmas Island

7 July 2012 10:52 am - 6 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The 32 passengers were transferred from their small fishing vessel to the islands Flying Fish Cove this morning after their boat was intercepted late Friday.

They are the latest in a surge of asylum seeker arrivals which is seeing boats being intercepted almost every day and, in some cases, twice daily.

Yesterday 38 Iraqi men, along with four Indonesian crew, were transferred to the island from Customs vessel the ACV Triton. The group had been on the Triton since last Friday when their asylum boat was intercepted at Ashmore Islands.

On Thursday, 162 Middle Eastern asylum seekers arrived after being picked up by the Navy on Wednesday when they claimed their vessel was in distress about 50 nautical miles south of Indonesia. The passengers were told to return to Indonesia but they refused.

The latest arrival this morning means passengers from 25 boats have arrived in Australia since Friday June 8.

There are around 1400 asylum seekers in various detention facilities on the island and the latest surge has seen the Federal Government attempt to reduce numbers by increasing charter flights to mainland detention centres.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the arrival showed people smugglers were continuing to take advantage of Ms Gillard's refusal to act to restore the coalition's border protection policies.

"Two years ago yesterday Julia Gillard promised she would break the people smugglers' business model by building an offshore processing centre on East Timor,'' Mr Morrison said in a statement today.

"Since that time she has overseen the largest number of illegal boat arrivals under any prime minister, with 206 boats and over 13,600 people arriving on her watch.''

Labor want the coalition to support its policy to send asylum seekers to Malaysia under a people swap deal.

But the coalition insists its policies when it was in government under former prime minister John Howard are the answer to stopping illegal arrivals.
"Rather than restore the policies that worked - offshore processing in Nauru, temporary protection visas and turning boats back where it is safe to do so - Julia Gillard has stumbled through policy failure after policy failure and has now created a committee solution as an excuse not to restore these policies,'' Mr Morrison said.

Ms Gillard has invited former Defence chief Angus Houston to lead an expert group to advise the government on asylum seeker policy, with cross-party representatives.

But the coalition has refused to provide any representatives because there are no terms of reference for the multi-party committee.
"And there is still no terms of reference for her proposed multi-party committee more than a week since it was announced despite repeated requests from the coalition,'' Mr Morrison said.

"Australia's borders are being overseen by a weak prime minister.

"No multi-party committee is required to restore the measures that worked to stop illegal boat arrivals and end the chaos and tragedies on our borders.''
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young, who returned from a visit to Indonesia on today, said conditions in Indonesia for asylum seekers were worsening.

"That is adding to the stress and the desperation to board boats,'' she told reporters in Adelaide.

It was time Labor and the coalition realised how delusional their policies were, Senator Hanson-Young said.

She urged the government to resettle more people immediately and said the coalition's idea of towing back boats was simply unrealistic, put more lives in danger and would lead to more deaths. (News.com.au)

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Comments - 6

shantha madawela Saturday, 07 July 2012 11:55 AM

Thats is only another asharira in Srilanka.....

Mahajanaya Saturday, 07 July 2012 11:57 AM

YES every week their completing long journey to Christmas Island, for this month over 200 Lankan asylum seekers completed their journey.

MagodisThuma Sunday, 08 July 2012 05:07 AM

Now it's almost impossible to migrate to Australia legally. This is the only way !

ahnef Sunday, 08 July 2012 08:12 AM

next censess the sri lankans will be the minority in australia.

peeda mossa Sunday, 08 July 2012 12:24 PM

They are probably following the route taken by the Aborigines, who are supposed to have migrated from Asia.

Kondebendapucheena Sunday, 08 July 2012 03:58 PM

Daily Service x mas Island and Friday and Monday to Cocos Island from Lovely Sri Lanka

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Another Lankan boat to Christmas Island

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