boat arrivals new ploy ???, page-8

0



Australian authorities have found an asylum-seeker vessel that issued a distress call south of Indonesia.

HMAS Wollongong has located the vessel - believed to be carrying up to 180 people - which issued a distress call about 4.30am (AEST) on Wednesday.

But the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says poor weather is preventing rescuers from boarding the vessel to establish the nature of the problem.

"HMAS Wollongong will continue to monitor the safety of the vessel," AMSA said in a joint statement with Customs and Border Protection.

One merchant vessel is also on the scene and HMAS Leeuwin is en route and expected to arrive on Wednesday evening.

The boat is about 110 kilometres southwest of West Java and 370km northwest of Christmas Island, inside Indonesia's search and rescue region.

A Customs and Border Protection surveillance aircraft and a RAAF P-3 maritime patrol aircraft are also en route.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare earlier said the boat had turned back towards Indonesia.

"The boat has rung, said it's in distress, that it's taking on water," Mr Clare told ABC Radio.

"Whenever you have a call like that, you take it seriously."

Mr Clare said if the vessel could not make it back to Indonesia or began to sink, rescuers would intervene.

The distress call came just two weeks after a boat carrying about 200 people capsized on its way to Christmas Island, leaving an estimated 90 people dead.

A boat carrying 134 people sank last week, leaving four people dead.

Federal parliament last week failed to pass laws that would have restored the government's power to send asylum seekers to other countries for processing.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/another-asylum-seeker-boat-in-distress/story-e6frfku9-1226416357303#ixzz1zcSIjmWZ