Friday, September 7, 2012

Almost 100 suspected asylum seekers found on board a boat off the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean - @DailyTelegraph

ALMOST 100 suspected asylum seekers have been found on board a boat near a lagoon at the Cocos Islands.

The Australian Federal Police boarded the boat on the island on Friday.

There were 99 people on aboard, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said.

The passengers will undergo basic health and security checks before they are transferred to Christmas Island.

Mr Clare said people arriving by boat without a visa after August 13 run the risk of being sent to an offshore detention centre.

The suspected asylum seeker boat is the fourth to enter Australian waters in the past week.