Asylum seekers who camped out on Christmas Island 'have all been found'
Version 0 of 1. All 27 asylum seekers who camped out on a Christmas Island beach for at least three days after their boat sank have been located, according to the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, who said authorities had not detected the boat because it was “a very small vessel” and “this is a very big ocean”. The asylum seekers – believed by Guardian Australia to be Rohingya people from Burma – came to the attention of authorities when National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers came across eight or nine people wandering along a road on the island on Thursday afternoon. They told the rangers their boat had sunk near what is now known to be Greta beach on the island’s rugged south-east coast, Morrison and Lieutenant General Angus Campbell told reporters at the weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefing on Friday. A search-and-rescue operation was launched on land and sea, co-ordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and local Christmas Island authorities. It’s not known yet what – if any – safety or communication equipment they were carrying, Campbell said. It is believed there were only 27 people on board. Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, on Friday morning said the undetected arrival showed the government was “not in control”. “The question today is, with all of that focus and discipline, how is it possible that a boat arrived on Christmas Island without detection?” he said. Morrison described the event as “an unusual incident that raises a number of questions”. “We should never forget that this is a very big ocean in that vicinity, these are very small vessels and these 27 people who are now safe should count themselves as extremely fortunate that they did not suffer a far worse fate,” he said. He warned anyone thinking of getting on a boat against thinking that there is “an Australian safety net waiting for them”. Campbell said weather, sea swell and craft size could combine to create a situation such as this where a boat was not detected by radar. “While undetected arrivals have occurred very occasionally in the past, I have directed to commander of border protection command to undertake an assessment of procedures, disposition and capabilities to mitigate where possible such surprises.” Campbell said he thought the asylum seekers would have had “a very difficult and distressing time” in the days between landing and making contact with the rangers. “It’s not clear how they came ashore, nor the circumstances or weather or indeed of the particular way in which they were able to take care of themselves as they struggled,” he said. “Those cliffs are extremely difficult and jagged and the jungle very thick. “These people are extremely lucky to have survived their ordeal.” Campbell said the fate of the vessel was not known. Morrison said 22 of the 27 people were being detained at the Phosphate Hill transfer facility. One man was in hospital with minor injuries and four people recovered from on or near Greta beach were on their way to Phosphate Hill under the care of Australian federal police. Campbell would not comment on the nationality of the passengers but said there “may” have been one unaccompanied minor. They will all be transferred to offshore processing centres. During the reporting period, 162 asylum seekers and six crew arrived in Australia – not including the 27 passengers on the undetected vessel There were four boat interceptions. Morrison denied the five boats to arrive in the reporting period represented a spike in arrivals, and refused to draw a link to Indonesia’s cessation of co-operation on people-smuggling operations. Citing a reduction of 80% in arrivals compared with last year, Morrison said: “This is not a job completed, there are still challenges – as the events of the past week clearly demonstrate.” There are now 1165 people in detention on Manus Island, 686 in facilities on Nauru and 2157 held on Christmas Island. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |