Dozens of migrants have reportedly landed by boat in a remote part of Western Australia, igniting a political row over the country’s zero-tolerance border protection regime.
About three dozen foreign nationals were found by locals Friday as they walked in separate groups by the coast in north western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula, according to national broadcaster ABC. “The conditions were very hot. Some of them seemed dizzy and wobbling a bit,” resident Melissa Smith was quoted as saying.
The migrants, some photographed as they rested in a park, said they were from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and one of them reportedly told the ABC he planned to seek asylum.
The Australian Border Force confirmed it was “undertaking an operation in the north west of Australia” but declined to give further details.
“Australia’s tough border protection policies means no one who travels unauthorized by boat will ever be allowed to settle permanently in Australia,” it said in a statement.
Under the stringent policy launched more than a decade ago, Australia has turned back boats and sent thousands of migrants to offshore “processing centers” on the Pacific islands of Manus and Nauru.—AFP
