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Australia intercepts 7th refugee boat this month
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Australia intercepts 7th refugee boat this month
By TANALEE SMITH,Associated Press Writer -
Wednesday, September 23
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ADELAIDE, Australia – A boat carrying 98 suspected asylum seekers was intercepted Wednesday by Australian border officials in the Indian Ocean, the seventh vessel apprehended in Australian waters this month.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the Customs and Border Protection Command intercepted the boat northwest of Christmas Island.
O'Connor said in a statement that the passengers were being transported to a detention center on Christmas Island for security and identity checks and to determine the reasons for their travel. Their nationalities were not yet known.
Six other unauthorized boats have entered Australian waters this month, with most of the passengers seeking asylum.
The influx of illegal boats _ 26 this year, carrying more than 1,400 people _ has fueled a political debate about the government's immigration policies. The opposition contends that a relaxation of tough regulations last year has caused people smugglers to target Australia.
Former Prime Minister John Howard tried to crack down on refugees by forcing them to reapply to stay in Australia five years after they arrived, and barring their families from joining them.
But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who defeated Howard in a November 2007 election, last year relaxed the mandatory detention policy for asylum seekers and allowed full residency visas for refugees.
The government says the people arriving by boat are fleeing violence and instability in their home countries; most of the refugees come from places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka. Some ministers have also suggested that good weather _ meaning calmer seas _ brings more boats from Indonesia, the most common route.
"Without doubt, the primary reason why people seek haven is because of the push factors, it's because of the conflicts that occur in their home countries as the result of war, civil conflicts, famines," O'Connor told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Australia has beefed up its spending on border protection, adding 65 million Australian dollars ($52 million) for more ships, aircraft and people to patrol the waters.
Boats intercepted in Australian waters are automatically transported to Christmas Island, an Australian territory 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) northwest of the mainland, just south of Indonesia. Some boats seem to aim directly for the island, or for other scattered Australian territories close to Indonesia rather than trying to reach the Australian mainland.
A 1,200-bed detention center at Christmas Island holds the asylum seekers as checks are being carried out.
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