Another 55 refugees arrive for Christmas 

Source: Reuters

A boat carrying another 55 asylum seekers and four crew has been intercepted off Australia's north-west coast.

The Australian Government said the boat was spotted by a customs and border protection plane before being intercepted north-west of Ashmore Island., the ABC reported.

Those on board will be taken to Christmas Island for health, security and identity checks.

The island's detention centre is already at capacity and some asylum seekers are being housed in tents.

Earlier this week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) determined that all 78 Tamil people taken to Christmas Island after a stand-off on board the ship Oceanic Viking were refugees.

On Friday it was reported New Zealand will again help Australia out of a sticky situation with refugees, by taking some of that boatload of 78.

"New Zealand is now all but certain to take some of the Tamils," The Australian newspaper reported in Sydney.

A spokeswoman for New Zealand Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman yesterday confirmed the issue was being dealt with at the highest level, the newspaper said.

Coleman's office said there had been "ongoing discussions" between Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, as well as several NZ ministers.

"If people from the Oceanic Viking were to be included as part of the normal refugee quota selection process facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), New Zealand would be prepared to consider them," she said.

New Zealand last came to the rescue of an Australian prime minister desperate to resettle stateless boatpeople, when it took some of the Afghans rescued by the MV Tampa in 2001.

That time, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Canada helped Australia to resettle

over 430 asylum-seekers rescued in 2001 by the Tampa, a Norwegian vessel.

Most of those asylum seekers were taken to Nauru, and about 150 people, were diverted to New Zealand, where they were subsequently granted asylum and progress toward citizenship.

Australia made direct cash payments to New Zealand for the refugees it accepted.

In March 2008, 12-year-old Abbas Nazari who, as a six year old, hadbeen one of the Afghan refugees picked up by the MV Tampa and subsequently refused asylum in Australia, came third in a New Zealand schools' spelling competition.

Interviewed after the competition, he commented: "Australia didn't want us because they thought we were terrorists ... but New Zealand listened to us and they thought we weren't terrorist 'n' stuff".