Australian Border Force investigate after second group of asylum seekers arrive in WA
A second group of asylum seekers have been found hours after a group of about 30 men were discovered in a remote part of WA.
National
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A second group of asylum seekers have been found hours after a group of about 30 men were discovered in a remote part of Western Australia by Australian Border Force.
The second undetected group of 13 men walked into the Aboriginal community of Pender Bay shortly before 5pm on Friday, The Australian has reported.
It’s understood the second group was comprised of 12 Bangladeshi men and one Indian man.
They were attended to by locals at the campsite in Western Australia’s remote Dampier Peninsula, about 51km by road north of Beagle Bay where the first group were found about 10am on Friday.
Residents of the Indigenous community Beagle Bay, about 100km north of Broome, had told the ABC the first group of men, who were believed to be from Pakistan, were found on a beach on Friday morning.
They were reportedly in good health, dressed in T-shirts and trousers, and were given water at the local store.
The ABC reported the group of 30 men have since been removed from the Beagle Bay community by bus and travelled in the direction of the Curtin RAAF base.
A Nauru Airlines plane had left the Curtin base midmorning on Saturday, arriving at Broome International Airport shortly after, where currently it remains.
Australia has an offshore immigration detention centre at Nauru.
The Australian Border Force confirmed on Friday it is undertaking an operation in northern Western Australia following reports more than 20 people have arrived by boat.
“As this operation is ongoing, no further information will be provided,” the ABF said in a statement on Friday.
“Australia’s tough border protection policies means no one who travels unauthorised by boat will ever be allowed to settle permanently in Australia.
“The only way to travel to Australia is legally, with an Australian visa.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters he had no information about the discovery of the first group of men.
“I’ve been travelling in the car, so I haven’t been advised about that,” he said.
“But our policies are clear, which is that boats that arrive in that fashion … we have policies in place that ensure they are dealt with.”
Australian Border Force, WA Police or the Prime Minister are yet to comment publicly about the discovery of the second group of men.
However, an Australia Border Force spokeswoman confirmed to NCA NewsWire it was investigating.
“As this operation is ongoing, no further information will be provided,” she said.
The agency had previously stated on Friday “Australia remains committed to protecting its borders, stamping out people smuggling and preventing vulnerable people from risking their lives on futile journeys”.
“The people smuggling business model is built on the exploitation of information and selling lies to vulnerable people who will give up everything to risk their lives at sea,” ABF stated on Friday.
More to come.
Originally published as Australian Border Force investigate after second group of asylum seekers arrive in WA
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