6 Undocumented Chinese Arrivals Found Wandering Remote Western Australia
Udumbara
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Six Chinese nationals have been detained by the Australian Border Force (ABF) after being found wandering around a remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia (WA).
Kalumburu locals reportedly singled out the unapproved arrivals earlier this week due to their unusual clothing, including long pants, which were seen as out of place in the intense summer heat.
The small town of Kalumburu sits in the far northern Kimberley region of WA and is one of the most remote permanent Aboriginal settlements.
It sits alongside the King Edward River, which flows to the ocean.
The Epoch Times understands two people were located in the community at first, with another four Chinese nationals discovered later.
Authorities are believed to be searching for the boat they arrived on.
In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, the ABF said it “does not comment on operational matters.”
The Chinese nationals were also taken to Kalumburu Multi-Functional Police Facility for medical assessment.
The incident has drawn debate among politicians, with WA Today reporting that WA Opposition Leader Jonno Duniam said the government had not put enough focus on Australia’s border security.
“Perhaps if Tony Burke spent less time covering up secret meetings about bringing former members of ISIS into Australia and more time focused on border security, we wouldn’t be relying on off-duty police officers to pick up illegal arrivals,” he said.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge urged for the Chinese nationals to be treated as asylum seekers.
“A country … with the wealth and resources of Australia should not go into a political meltdown because six people from China have sought asylum,” he said.
“There are people in China who face persecution because of their ethnicity, their religion or their politics, and they have a right to seek asylum.”
The Maningrida community sits 500 kilometres east of the capital Darwin, sitting alongside Australia’s upper coastline.
“We should have unblinking surveillance on our northern approaches, but instead we have illegal boats penetrating our borders and people making it ashore,” Shadow Home Affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said at the time.
“This signals weakness to the people smugglers that business is back on under Labor.”
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