In response to Australia's announcement that they plan to enforce a stricter deportation policy starting in September, record numbers of immigrants are making the journey from Indonesia and landing on the remote Australian island of Christmas Island. In their haste, many of these refugees that come from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Sri Lanka, are crowding onto unsafe ships, resulting in several dangerous sea voyages and emergencies. A wooden fishing boat headed for Christmas Island sunk just off the coast of Indonesia with about 150 refugees on board. To date, only 55 people have been rescued from the water (McGuirk). .
The Labor Party government of Australia announced that they would not be welcoming future refugees, and instead would deport them to the Pacific atoll of Nauru, where a camp is opening in September, or to Papua New Guinea. Amid critiques that this is not humane, the government replied that refugees will live in tents for as long as they would have lived in camps had they not chosen to smuggle themselves into the country. The camps were originally constructed at the beginning of the millennium, but the Labor government later closed them when they won the 2007 election. During that year, only 339 asylum seekers entered Australia, but the numbers have increased each year since. Almost 1,900 refugees arrived in Australia in August alone, trying to beat the refugee claims process that will prevent future immigrants from making the journey (McGuirk). .
"People smugglers are running a closing-down sale," said Jason Clare, Australia's Home Affairs Minister. Clare is hoping to deter future refugees from paying smugglers $10,000 or more for the 250 mile journey from Indonesia or Malaysia to Australia. He believes refugees will not be as encouraged to pay large sums of money if they are not guaranteed entrance into Australia (McGuirk). .
APL Bahrain, a Liberian merchant ship, rescued the first six survivors from the water, who were all Afghan men.