600 asylum seekers have arrived on Australian shores so far this month

asylum seekers

A boatload of asylum seekers is escorted to Christmas Island earlier this week.
Source: The Daily Telegraph




NEARLY 600 asylum seekers and crew have been caught trying to reach Australia’s shores since the start of the month, after the navy intercepted another boat yesterday.


HMAS Bundaberg intercepted a vessel carrying 75 asylum seekers and two crew northeast of Christmas Island early yesterday morning.

In the past fortnight, 596 asylum seekers and crew members have been caught.

That included 10 Chinese who this week abandoned plans to sail to New Zealand and sought refuge in Australia.

Australian authorities have stopped 25 boats carrying 1906 people since the start of the year. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the arrival of the latest boat meant more than 3000 people had landed since Labor embraced the Greens’ solution of community release and bridging visas in November.

“The message has gotten out,” Mr Morrison said.

“Asylum policy has been a one-way street between the Greens and Labor, with Labor completely capitulating to all of Bob Brown’s demands.

“We have had more people turn up in the last week than in last six years of the Howard government, yet Labor continues to opt for the Greens policies on asylum seekers rather than the proven polices of John Howard that they abolished.”

The government wasn’t commenting on the latest boat arrival yesterday, preferring to put politics aside while a search continued for about 60 Afghan asylum seekers, including children, missing off Indonesia.

It is believed the Australia-bound vessel capsized in rough seas off the coast of Sumbawa island, near the popular resort island of Bali.

Indonesian authorities said yesterday there had been no sign of a missing boat, which had sent a distress signal.

 

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