Suspected people smuggling boat intercepted
Wednesday 3 December 2008
A vessel with 35 passengers and five crew on board was intercepted by Border Protection Command shortly after a sighting by a surveillance aircraft near Ashmore Island, north-west of Western Australia late yesterday.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the group will now be transferred to Christmas Island where they will be detained and processed. The nationalities and intentions of the people on board have not yet been determined.
Senator Evans said people smugglers were attempting to avoid interception and Border Protection Command patrols by changing their tactics and varying the size of vessels used.
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, said the government had maintained extensive air and sea patrols of Australia’s maritime borders by Border Protection Command.
‘There is no change from the previous Government's commitment to the protection of our borders,’ Mr Debus said.
‘Border Protection Command's 10 fixed wing aircraft fly more than 2400 missions each year, covering around 160 million square nautical miles on patrol for threats to our border.
‘Our maritime surveillance operates every single day of the year and this will never change under this Government. There will be no reduction in monitoring by Customs or the Navy over Christmas or at any other time.
‘The Australian Government also works closely with Governments across the region to assist our neighbours to have strong border protection systems in place.’
Senator Evans said people smuggling is a global problem with conflicts forcing people to flee and seek safety in western countries like Australia.
‘Ongoing conflicts in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have seen thousands of displaced people seeking refuge around the world, and the people smugglers are exploiting these people at their most vulnerable times,’ Senator Evans said.
‘There is also increasing evidence that people smugglers are recruiting customers in source countries.
‘In Australia, people smuggling is a crime and people convicted of this heinous crime can face up to 20 years in jail.’
See also: UNHCR (100KB PDF file)
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/media/media-releases/2008/ce08118.htm
Last update: 04 December 2008 at 12:41 AEST