Sydney, October 18: Two boats carrying passengers have run into trouble in Indonesian and Malaysian waters and Australia’s navy is providing assistance, an Australian government spokesman said on Sunday.
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor told Reuters that it was unclear how many people were on board the boats or whether they were asylum-seekers.
Australia has seen an upsurge in arrivals of asylum-seekers from Indonesia in recent months, and the issue is a sensitive one politically. Opponents of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Labor government blame what they see as a soft government stance on the issue.
“The Australian government is aware of reports of two vessels in distress in Malaysian and Indonesian waters,” the spokesman said. Authorities in those countries were leading rescue efforts with Australian assistance, he added.
One boat had been contacted by an Australian naval vessel to the north of the Indian Ocean possession of Christmas Island, and all aboard appeared to be safe, the spokesman said.
“All people on board the vessel are safe and no major medical problems have been identified. The intentions of the group are not known at this stage.”
–Agencies