AUCKLAND: On Sunday, a boat of asylum seekers arrived off of the western Australian coast. It is the second such boat since Australia's Labour party failed to secure its Malaysian refugee swap deal. The Ministry for Home Affairs said that fifteen passengers and one crew member were on board. The passengers are being transferred to Christmas Island for processing. The details of the refugee deal were announced in July. It came as a policy designed to deter people smugglers and asylum seekers from sailing to Australia in boats. The deal would have seen Australia send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia and accept 4,000 refugees in Malaysia. After spending $5 million trying to win the case, the Malaysian refugee swap deal was deemed illegal last week by a High Court's ruling. Asylum seekers will be processed in Australia. When detention camps are full, claimants will be allowed to live in the community while their refugee claims are being assessed. In a recent report, the UN Refugee Agency found that while the number of asylum seekers globally was increasing, Australia has seen a 20% decrease in the first 6 months of the year in claims. On October 18, the first boat was intercepted by Australian customs vessels near Scott Reef. 51 passengers and four crew members were on board. BM
