another 55 julia

When will they impose massive jail terms for the crew members that bring them in ?
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AAP, The West Australian
April 18, 2012, 12:16 pm
A boat carrying 55 suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted south west of Browse Island, near the WA coast.

The boat, which was also carrying two crew members, was found by Australian Customs vessel Triton today.

It was first detected yesterday by a Dash 8 surveillance aircraft, operating under the control of Border Protection Command.

The passengers and crew will be taken to Christmas Island where they will undergo security, health and identity checks.

“This latest boat - carrying 55 passengers - shows that asylum seekers will continue to risk their lives at sea without a deterrent in place,” immigration minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.

Last year, a High Court decision scuttled the federal Government’s planned people swap deal with Malaysia, and also cast doubt on the legality of offshore processing of asylum seekers.

Since then, the Government has considered changing the migration act to make offshore processing easier.

But its plans have been halted by the Coalition, which wants to turn back the boats where it’s safe to do so, allow temporary protection visas and reopen the Howard-era Nauru detention centre.

The Malaysia deal had involved sending 800 asylum seekers to Kuala Lumpur in exchange for 4000 already processed refugees.