Another boat is intercepted

An asylum seeker boat carrying more than 70 people was intercepted 28 nautical miles off Broome on Sunday.

Customs confirmed it intercepted a suspected irregular entry vessel north-west of Broome with 72 people on board. It is understood they are from Vietnam.

The vessel was first spotted more than 150 nautical miles off the WA coast by a Customs aircraft, but authorities waited until the boat arrived in Australia’s contiguous zone so it could be legally intercepted.

A number of the group have been taken to Broome for medical treatment, while the rest are expected to be flown as soon as possible to Christmas Island.

Western Australian Police vessel Delphinus provided support to the operation, shadowing the asylum seeker vessel until HMAS Ararat arrived.

Customs Minister Jason Clare has since said the Government might have to adjust its search zones further south if there was evidence asylum seekers were avoiding Christmas Island and heading for the mainland.

Boat people arriving on the mainland cannot be sent to Nauru or Manus Island for processing, and get more legal rights to fight for their case to stay in Australia.

Christmas Island administrator Jon Stanhope said he had nominated three asylum seekers from Burma, who drowned eight weeks ago while trying to paddle to the island, for posthumous Australian bravery awards.

Four men abandoned their asylum vessel and paddled for shore on a makeshift raft after their boat’s engines stalled, apparently to get help.

Three of the Burmese drowned, but the fourth — the vessel’s Indonesian skipper — survived and struggled ashore at Christmas Island.

Mr Stanhope, the former chief minister of the ACT, said he had nominated all four for an award, regardless of whether they were eligible.