SYDNEY - A BOAT carrying nearly 200 refugees into Australian waters is part of a surge of asylum seekers fleeing violence in their home countries, the immigration minister said on Monday.
People from poor, often war-ravaged countries
'We've seen some signs of success but obviously it was very disappointing to see this boat arrive yesterday,' he said. 'We're absolutely determined to put an end to that trade and we've committed an awful lot of resources recently to try and combat these arrivals.'
Australia has long been a destination for people from poor, often war-ravaged countries hoping to start a new life. Most of the latest asylum seekers have come from Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka.
The boat, intercepted on Sunday in the Indian Ocean, was the largest of the 15 boats of asylum seekers detained in Australian waters so far this year. Its arrival renewed accusations by the political opposition that the government is too soft on immigration.
'We're absolutely determined to try and combat people smuggling but there's no end in sight in terms of the numbers of people moving through southeast Asia,' Immigration Minister Chris Evans told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. 'We're going to have to keep up trying to meet the challenge certainly over the next year or so.'
He said Australia's new budget designated A$650 million (S$762 million) for border protection and combatting people smuggling.
The vessel was spotted on Friday by a surveillance aircraft and intercepted on Sunday by a Navy ship operating under the control of the Border Protection Command, about 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) northwest of Christmas Island.
The nationalities of those on board was not immediately known.
The boat was being escorted to Christmas Island, an Australian territory where an 800-bed detention center houses refugee applicants while their applications are processed. Once there, the ship's occupants will undergo health, security, identity and other checks.
The island is located about 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) northwest of the Australia's western coast.
Mr Evans said that there was a surge of people moving through southeast Asia to escape violence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and said more people would definitely try to reach Australia by boat.
He admitted the government was 'very concerned' about the continued arrival of unauthorized boat people. -- AP
