Australia detains 17 asylum seekers
Tue Aug 28, 2018 01:59:pm World
3.9K By Obiaks Blog
A group of 17 asylum seekers, who reached mainland Australia by boat at the weekend have been located and detained, government officials said on Tuesday.
"The department can confirm 17 Vietnamese nationals, who came ashore north of Port Douglas have been safely located and detained," a spokesperson from the Home Affairs Department said.
"Under Australia's strict border protection policies, no one, who travels to Australia illegally by boat is permitted to remain in Australia."
The asylum seekers have been taken to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean for processing, according to refugee activists.
"I hope they are able to receive advice that they can make their claim while in detention," Ian Rintoul, a refugee activist, said.
The asylum seekers went missing in crocodile-infested mangrove forests at the start of the Daintree River after the rickety vessel ran aground in the north-eastern coast of Queensland on Aug. 26.
Most were detained by that evening. The last two men, understood to be the captain and first mate of the boat, were arrested on Tuesday.
Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, described the boat as "the first people smuggling vehicle" to reach Australia since 2014.
He admitted it was "the result of a surveillance failure" and said it is "a reminder that the people smugglers have not gone out of business."
The asylum seekers "will be deported from our country at the first available opportunity," he said.
Australia follows a strict and much-maligned policy of rejecting undocumented arrivals by sea and sending boats with migrants back to where they came from.
dpa/NAN
"The department can confirm 17 Vietnamese nationals, who came ashore north of Port Douglas have been safely located and detained," a spokesperson from the Home Affairs Department said.
"Under Australia's strict border protection policies, no one, who travels to Australia illegally by boat is permitted to remain in Australia."
The asylum seekers have been taken to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean for processing, according to refugee activists.
"I hope they are able to receive advice that they can make their claim while in detention," Ian Rintoul, a refugee activist, said.
The asylum seekers went missing in crocodile-infested mangrove forests at the start of the Daintree River after the rickety vessel ran aground in the north-eastern coast of Queensland on Aug. 26.
Most were detained by that evening. The last two men, understood to be the captain and first mate of the boat, were arrested on Tuesday.
Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, described the boat as "the first people smuggling vehicle" to reach Australia since 2014.
He admitted it was "the result of a surveillance failure" and said it is "a reminder that the people smugglers have not gone out of business."
The asylum seekers "will be deported from our country at the first available opportunity," he said.
Australia follows a strict and much-maligned policy of rejecting undocumented arrivals by sea and sending boats with migrants back to where they came from.
dpa/NAN
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