Far North border security under scrutiny

ASYLUM SEEKERS



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THE Australian Border Force is still refusing to confirm how many suspected asylum seekers remain at large in the Daintree rainforest.

It comes as authorities prepare to deport 15 Vietnamese nationals who were nabbed on the run after a fishing trawler ran aground on Sunday at Cape Kimberley.

It’s believed they will first be flown to a detention centre in Darwin.

The Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, said the fishing vessel expedition was not a well-planned operation.

“We do not have all the facts at this stage, and until we do, then we can look at this situation and how it should be dealt with,” he said.

Daintree locals could be seen voluntary removing debris and fuel away from the waters edge at sundown last night. The items, including food and blankets, suggested those on board had steeled themselves for a long journey.

It’s believed the skipper of the vessel deliberately targeted that remote stretch, north of Port Douglas.

“It feels a little eerie down here, it’s a bit of a shame the amount of oil and diesel that has leaked into the water,” Deb, a mother-of-two, told Newsport.

“They must have been pretty desperate to get here.”

It comes as the ABF continues to come under scrutiny following the country’s first ‘people smuggling’ attempt in almost four years.

Australia's border protection has been put back on the agenda following the incident at Cape Kimberley. IMAGE: Mark Murray - Newsport.
Locals help with the clean up on Cape Kimberley Beach. IMAGE: Supplied.
A blanket washes ashore from the fishing trawler. IMAGE: Mark Murray - Newsport.

Questions are being asked how a ramshackle fishing trawler could enter Australian waters, and make it to shore, undetected.

Former Douglas Shire councillor and CEO, Terry Melchert, has called for better resourcing and potentially a Coast Guard unit based in Cairns.

“It raises real concerns about the capacity of the Border Force to monitor our borders,” Mr Melchert said.

“In this case it is possible plant and other diseases could have accidentally been brought ashore.”

The sunken vessel, 12 kilometres along the coast from Port Douglas. IMAGE: Mark Murray - Newsport.
ABF quad bikes prepare to assist in the search for suspected asylum seekers in the Daintree. IMAGE: Mark Murray - Newsport.

Katter Australian Party candidate for Leichhardt, Daniel McCarthy, was furious with the ‘utter failure to keep Far North Queensland safe’.

“They can simply cruise within our waters for thousands of miles before choosing a location to go ashore completely undetected. What hope have we got of stopping those with far more serious intentions like invasion or an act of terrorism?” Mr McCarthy said.

“Without being an alarmist this is a real possibility.”


A number of barrels from the fishing trawler end up on the sand at the remote beach. IMAGE: Mark Murray - Newsport.

 

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