Two boats carrying 108 intercepted off Australia
June 30, 2012 11:53 am
Two more boats have been detected overnight, carrying 108 asylum seekers, taking the number of boats intercepted in just over 24 hours to four.
One the boat sailed into Cocos Islands carrying 67 Sri Lankans at about 10pm local time.
The second boat was intercepted by HMAS Bundaberg north east of Ashmore Islands and had 41 people on board whose nationalities are not yet known.
Passengers on the boat had called the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for assistance but the vessel was not in distress when Border Protection Command officers arrived at the scene near Ashmore Islands.
The boat was initially detected by a Customs and Border Protection surveillance aircraft, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare’s office said.
Passengers from both boats will be transferred to Christmas Island where there has been a recent influx of asylum seekers.
The latest boats intercepted means there have been four boat arrivals in just over 24 hours.
Yesterday 145 passengers from two other boats were transferred to the island. One boat was carrying 44 Sri Lankans and was detected off the coast of Christmas Island on Thursday night.
The other boat had 101 Afghan asylum seekers on board and was intercepted off the island on Friday morning.
On Thursday, 130 relieved survivors from the boat that sunk in the high seas on Wednesday arrived at the island after being transported by HMAS Leeuwin from the scene of the sinking. Their arrival was followed by the offloading of 93 Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
The Sri Lankans arrived in a boat spotted close to shore on Wednesday night. The passengers included dozens of men, woman and children. – The Australian
One the boat sailed into Cocos Islands carrying 67 Sri Lankans at about 10pm local time.
The second boat was intercepted by HMAS Bundaberg north east of Ashmore Islands and had 41 people on board whose nationalities are not yet known.
Passengers on the boat had called the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for assistance but the vessel was not in distress when Border Protection Command officers arrived at the scene near Ashmore Islands.
The boat was initially detected by a Customs and Border Protection surveillance aircraft, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare’s office said.
Passengers from both boats will be transferred to Christmas Island where there has been a recent influx of asylum seekers.
The latest boats intercepted means there have been four boat arrivals in just over 24 hours.
Yesterday 145 passengers from two other boats were transferred to the island. One boat was carrying 44 Sri Lankans and was detected off the coast of Christmas Island on Thursday night.
The other boat had 101 Afghan asylum seekers on board and was intercepted off the island on Friday morning.
On Thursday, 130 relieved survivors from the boat that sunk in the high seas on Wednesday arrived at the island after being transported by HMAS Leeuwin from the scene of the sinking. Their arrival was followed by the offloading of 93 Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
The Sri Lankans arrived in a boat spotted close to shore on Wednesday night. The passengers included dozens of men, woman and children. – The Australian
