In news that is sure to add to the government's headaches over asylum-seekers, the strife-torn and overcrowded detention centre is now being has been targeted directly by people-smugglers. In the past three years, the proportion of suspected illegal entry vessels (SIEVs) heading straight for Christmas Island excised from Australia's migration zone under the Howard Government and now home to an overflowing detention centre has increased dramatically. The newly released data was issued by the Customs and Border Protection Service after a Freedom of Information request from The Australian. It shows that in 2009, when 60 SIEVs made their way towards Australia, only nine, or 15 per cent, were detected at Christmas Island.
A further 28 went to Ashmore Reef, two to the mainland and 21 at other locations. In 2010, when 134 SIEVs made their way towards Australia, 53 (39.5 per cent) were detected at Christmas Island, with 51 at Ashmore Reef, one at the mainland and 29 at other locations.
In the year to 16 November 2011, when 52 SIEVs made their way towards Australia, Christmas Island became the dominant destination, attracting 24 SIEVs (46 per cent) compared to 15 at Ashmore Reef, one at the mainland and 12 at other locations.
That is despite the crash of a SIEV into rocks in Flying Fish Cove last year which left about 50 asylum-seekers dead. Indonesia is the dominant departure point for SIEVs. Only a minority of boats have originated in Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam or Malaysia since at least 2009, the reports says. A recent surge of asylum-seekers has added to the Gillard government's problems on the issue.
The Australian understands that a boat carrying 103 people intercepted north of Christmas Island late on Wednesday contained 95 Sri Lankans and eight Iraqis, plus two Indonesian crew.
In 2007, the Rudd government decommissioned the Pacific Solution and, since the collapse of the Gillard government's Malaysian Solution earlier this year, Labor has been trying to develop a new policy on people-smuggling. The government is also working to replace an ageing fleet of border patrol vessels and modernise the methods used to detect, and handle, SIEVs off Australia's north-west coast.