Ferry tragedy highlights refugee dilemma

A boat carrying some 180 asylum seekers claiming to be fleeing Afghanistan was intercepted by the Austalian navy on 20 October

By CNN's Grant Holloway

CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- The tragic sinking of an Indonesian ferry carrying hundreds of asylum seekers bound for Australia is not influencing political efforts to tighten that country's borders against illegal immigrants.

An Indonesian navy spokesman told Reuters the passengers had paid between $800 and $1900 a head for a berth on the voyage towards the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island.

Under new border controls introduced by the Howard government and supported by the opposition Labor party, such asylum seekers are not permitted to set foot on Australian territory and must have their refugee applications processed in a third country.

The Australian government on Tuesday announced an $86 million (Aust. $175 million) policy package to strengthen the patrolling of Australia's north western coastlines.

The move comes as criticism mounts over Australia's reluctance to increase its efforts to help accommodate those fleeing Afghanistan as hostilities in that country intensify.

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf told CNN Tuesday that the scale of the problem of Afghan refugees flooding into Pakistan was far greater than any difficulties Australia currently faced.

The United Nations' refugee agency says as many as 60,000 Afghan refugees have crossed into Pakistan since the U.S. bombing campaign began more than two weeks ago and it has urged Pakistan to open its borders to take in the most extreme refugee cases.

Hundreds feared dead

People believed to originate from the Middle East sit perched on a boat off the coast of Christmas Island earlier this year

More than 350 asylum seekers are believed to have died when the ship went down in the Java Sea last week. Forty-four survivors from the vessel are now being treated in hospital in Indonesia, Reuters reports.

The ferry, which set off from Lampung in Sumatra was carrying asylum seekers from the Middle East and Afghanistan.

The sinking of the Indonesian ferry has, however, now sparked an ugly war of words between Australia's political parties.

As Australians head to the polls for national elections on Nov. 10, the earlier bipartisan political approach to combating the growing number of asylum seekers arriving on Australian shores has disintegrated.

The failure of the Howard government to work with Jakarta to deter illegal immigrants setting out on such hazardous voyages has led to the tragedy, according to Labor leader Kim Beazley.

Australia had not managed to get an agreement with Indonesia "to ensure that those who put themselves in such danger are not encouraged to do so", Beazley told radio listeners.

Beazley points to the failure of Prime Minister John Howard to secure one-on-one talks with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri during the weekend APEC meeting in Shanghai, and suggests a poor relationship is contributing to the illegal immigration problem.

Howard has refuted those comments, saying to link the tragedy with an alleged failure of Australian foreign policy was a desperate slur.

Coast guard proposal

"That is about the most despicable thing I have heard in this election campaign," Howard told radio listeners.

Some of the 434 rescued refugees from a ferry stranded in the Indian Ocean in August

"If there is responsibility for this tragedy it especially lies with the people smugglers."

If elected next month, a Labor government would introduce a U.S. style Coast Guard to supplement the Australian navy's patrolling of the country's borders.

The Refugee Council of Australia meanwhile warns that a similar tragedy could be precipitated by the Australian government's policy of turning back the immigrant boats.

"In a way the government is very lucky this boat didn't sink after being pushed awy from Australia by a naval vessel," council chairman William Maley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Spotlight on policy

"My suspicion is that one day that's what will happen.

"The Australian navy, in pursuance of current policy, will push a vessel back and then it will sink with massive casualties and the whole policy will implode," he said.

Australia's policy on illegal immigration has been in the international spotlight since August when it refused to allow asylum seekers rescued by a Norwegian cargo ship permission to land in Australia.

Subsequent boatloads of asylum seekers have been transferred by the Australian navy to countries such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the tiny island nation of Nauru to have their refugee status assessed.

Australia has also approached other Pacific island nations such as Fiji and Palau to help it enforce this new policy.