Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Australian Navy has intercepted a boat carrying around 41 suspected asylum seekers.
The boat with 41 passengers and four crew was intercepted near Ashmore Islands off the West Australian coast.
The asylum seekers will be taken to Christmas Island for processing,according to ABC report.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor said their nationality has not yet been confirmed,but if they are Afghans or Sri Lankans their asylum claims will not be processed for up to six months.
The Australian government announced on April 9 that it was freezing all claims from Afghans for six months and all claims from Sri Lankans for three months.
