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Kevin Rudd - Source: Reuters -
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Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he had raised concern
about surging refugee arrivals with his Indonesian counterpart,
prompting Indonesia's navy to seize a boat packed with hundreds of
asylum seekers.
Rudd said he phoned Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
as weekend intelligence reports pinpointed a boat carrying 260 Sri
Lankans headed for Australia through the Sunda Strait, between Java
and Sumatra islands.
"Working with our friends in the region is important to deal with
this because of the huge push factors coming from political
disturbances in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, and the wider Middle
East," Rudd told Australian radio.
Indonesia is a frequent transit country for asylum seekers aiming
to get to Australia from conflict-torn countries.
Following Rudd's call to Yudhoyono, an Indonesian warship
intercepted what officials described as a cargo ship carrying the
Sri Lankan group near the volcanic island of Krakatoa, the West
Australian newspaper reported.
Rudd's personal intervention underscores deep concern in Australia
over surging asylum arrivals, prompting conservative opposition
lawmakers to blame the arrivals on softer immigration laws since
Rudd took office in 2007.
A survey by the Lowy Institute for International Policy on Tuesday
found 76% of respondents were concerned about unauthorised asylum
seekers, underscoring the risk the issue could damage Rudd's
popularity ahead of elections next year.
But any perception by Indonesia's fiercely-nationalistic media and
sections of the parliament that Yudhoyono had bowed to a request
from Rudd could spark criticism of his own government.
Separately, Australia's navy intercepted another vessel near
Ashmore Island north of Darwin, with 56 passengers and two crew on
board, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said.
Former immigration minister and conservative opposition lawmaker
Philip Ruddock - architect of a hard-line policy dumped by Rudd of
sending asylum seekers into a detention on small Pacific island
nations - said up to 10,000 people a year could now be targeting
Australia, up from 161 in 2008.
More than 1,600 have arrived so far this year, as part of what the
government says is a surge of 42 million forcibly displaced people
around the world since 2008.
Home Affairs Minister O'Connor said people smuggling was a
world-wide problem and Australia was committed to working closely
with neighbours to address the issue, including sending Australian
police and immigration officials to Indonesia.
"Situations around the world mean that large numbers of displaced
persons are looking for settlement in stable, democratic nations
such as Australia, and can be targeted by, and fall prey to, people
smugglers," O'Connor said.
