Fed: Biggest boatload of asylum-seekers arrives

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2001
Fed: Biggest boatload of asylum-seekers arrives

By Jordan Baker and Liza Kappelle

CANBERRA, Aug 22 AAP - The biggest boatload of asylum seekers ever to reach Australia
has landed on Christmas Island, swamping authorities already stretched by a flood of illegal
arrivals over the past week.

About 360 mostly-Middle Eastern people reached the island, 350 kilometres south of
Java, this afternoon.

A spokeswoman for Justice Minster Chris Ellison said eight people, including a pregnant
woman, an insulin dependant child and a baby were taken to hospital.

They were the third group to land in the last six days, following on from 348 asylum
seekers who arrived last Thursday and another 230 who reached Ashmore Islands on Monday.

The flood of illegals has stretched resources on Christmas Island to the limit, with
recent arrivals housed in a military-style tent camp until the government authorised an
airlift to the mainland using Royal Australian Air Force Hercules transports.

Christmas Island administrator Bill Taylor say authorities had arrangements for the
latest group in hand.

But he said local residents were hoping they could be moved into immigration detention
on the mainland as soon as possible, as still more boats were expected.

"I had my fingers crossed that they (the latest boat) didn't arrive on Saturday or
Sunday," he told AAP.

"It would have made life very, very difficult."

The group came as Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock admitted the immigration detention
system was under pressure, with just 800 places vacant.

"At the moment I think we have 3,000 people in detention," he told ABC radio.

"The larger part of that number is (those) who are being held for removal from Australia.

"I think we have something like 800 beds, if you want to call it that, left."

A spokesman for the minister said more illegals were preparing to leave Indonesia soon
and the government was rushing to put contingency plans in place.

He also defended as money well spent funds to support the detention of asylum seekers
in Indonesia, the most popular jumping-off point for those heading for Australia.

An SBS report to air tonight claims the government is paying Indonesian authorities
to catch boat people, as well as funding an international organisation to feed and house
them.

AAP jb/rft/vr/br

KEYWORD: DETENTION NIGHTLEAD (TAKES IN BOAT)

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