Fed: Federal police say asylum seekers seeking safety guarantees

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Fed: Federal police say asylum seekers seeking safety guarantees

By Max Blenkin

CANBERRA, Aug 6 AAP - Asylum seekers were demanding people smugglers take the dangeroustrip alongside them or meet them at the destination following the sinking of the SIEV-Xand the loss of 353 lives, a Senate committee was told today.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said this was indicated by the recentarrival of a boatload of Sri Lankans in Dili, East Timor, where they were met by Sri Lankanorganisers.

It was too early to say whether this would be a trend for future people smuggling operations,he said.

SIEV-X (suspected illegal entry vessel - unknown) was an overcrowded leaky fishingboat which sank off Indonesia last year with almost 400 people on board.

Mr Keelty said it seemed potential asylum seekers were aware of what happened to SIEV-X.

"Those people who have paid money to be facilitated to Australia are in fact demandingmuch more reassurance from the people smugglers about their safe arrival to Australia,"

he said.

"It seems we are now seeing a little bit of a trend form, and it is too early to sayhow much of a trend it is, with the people smugglers having to escort them or be at eachpoint of destination to reassure the passengers that they are going to be properly andsafely facilitated," he said.

"We have not seen that strategy used by the people smugglers before."

That appears to offer improved prospects for prosecuting the organisers who, with afew exceptions, have stayed well away from the Australian jurisdiction.

Mr Keelty said Australia did have considerable success at prosecuting Indonesian crew members.

In 2000 and 2001, police arrested and prosecuted 178 crew. From 2001 to February thisyear, there had been 67 prosecutions.

The Senate legal and constitutional committee is examining the Migration LegislationAmendment (Further Border Protection Measures) Bill 2002, which will excise 3,000 northernislands from the migration zone.

The bill was introduced in June after the Senate opposition and minor parties disalloweda regulation that would have done the same thing.

Mr Keelty said Indonesian authorities had diverted more than 3,000 people suspectedof planning to enter Australia illegally into legitimate migrations processes throughthe United Nations.

But it was estimated there were still 2,100 people in Indonesia intent on coming toAustralia, he said.

AAP mb/kjp/apm/bwl

KEYWORD: BOAT POLICE