Ashmore Reef is a group of three islands lying approximately 320 kilometres
off the north-west coast of Australia. Although the islands lie just 144 kilometres
south-south-east off the Indonesian island of Roti they are an Australian territory.
The islands of Ashmore Reef are composed mostly of coral reef and some sand.
Uninhabited and sparsely covered by grasses, this rather uninspiring sounding
group of islands does in fact have a very important geographical location. Not
only has Ashmore Reef been at the centre of discussions between Australian and
Indonesian authorities in relation to maritime boundaries, but in recent times
it has also been at the centre of a much larger issue – illegal immigration.
Australia has had a long history of unauthorised immigrant arrivals by boat.
The map of population movements in the 1990s on page 200 of the Heinemann
Atlas 3rd edn shows some of the source areas of these immigrants, most notably
from zones of conflict such as the Middle East.
With the advent of organised people smuggling, Ashmore Reef has become a target
landing zone of many illegal immigrants. Tables 1 and 2 (see below) demonstrate
that in recent years Ashmore Reef has been the scene of more unauthorised landfalls
than any other point on the Australian coast.
The response of the Federal Government has been to house illegal immigrants
in immigration detention centres in Perth, Port Hedland, Derby, Woomera, Melbourne
or Sydney until their individual cases can be resolved. With this in mind, the
traffickers involved in people smuggling are seemingly taking advantage of the
geographical location of Ashmore Reef. The islands provide smugglers with the
chance to disembark their human cargo on Australian territory and into the hands
of the Australian authorities at a ‘safe’ distance from the Australian mainland.
This may allow the people smugglers to avoid being arrested or perhaps it is
intended to avoid Australia’s coastal surveillance. Another reason may be that
it makes the long, arduous journey to our shores shorter and less dangerous.
|
Date of arrival
|
Point of arrival
|
Number of illegal immigrants
|
Department of Immigration’s recommendations
|
|
5 January 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
118: 103 adults,
15 children
|
12 detained,
105 temporary permit visas, 1 departure
|
|
7 January 2000
|
North-west of Darwin
|
44: 42 adults,
2 children
|
44 temporary permit visas
|
|
17 January 2000
|
Hibernian Reef
|
25: 23 adults,
2 children
|
25 temporary permit visas
|
|
22 January 2000
|
Cape Fourcroy
|
54: 47 adults,
7 children
|
39 departures,
15 humanitarian visas
|
|
26 January 2000
|
Cape Bougainville
|
38: 32 adults,
6 children
|
4 detained, 34 temporary permit visas
|
|
1 February 2000
|
Christmas Island
|
281: 231 adults,
50 children – plus
3 babies
|
44 detained,
232 temporary permit visas, 8 departures
|
|
11 February 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
47: 41 adults,
6 children – plus
1 baby
|
3 detained, 45 temporary permit visas
|
|
16 February 2000
|
Christmas Island
|
22: 21 adults, 1 child
|
5 detained, 17 temporary permit visas
|
|
16 February 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
14 adults
|
1 departure,
13 temporary permit visas
|
|
1 March 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
71: 51 adults,
20 children – plus
2 babies
|
3 detained, 69 temporary permit visas, 1 escape
|
|
6 March 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
21 adults
|
1 detained, 11 temporary permit visas,
9 departures
|
|
19 March 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
47: 31 adults,
16 children
|
3 detained, 44 temporary permit visas
|
|
22 March 2000
|
Cape Leveque, Western Australia
|
34: 24 adults,
10 children
|
5 detained, 29 temporary permit visas
|
|
26 March 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
70: 62 adults,
8 children – plus
2 babies
|
26 detained,
45 temporary permit visas, 1 departure
|
|
28 March 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
19 adults
|
19 temporary permit visas
|
|
3 April 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
62: 46 adults,
16 children – plus
2 babies
|
14 detained, 2 bridging visas, 47 temporary permit visas, 1 departure
|
|
24 April 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
4 adults
|
2 detained 1 departure,
1 escape
|
|
26 April 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
78: 72 adults,
3 children
|
9 detained, 63 temporary permit visas,
3 departures
|
|
9 May 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
66: 52 adults,
14 children – plus
1 baby
|
6 detained, 1 refugee,
60 temporary permit visas
|
|
16 May 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
17: 15 adults,
2 children
|
17 temporary permit visas
|
|
1 June 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
36: 32 adults,
4 children – plus
1 baby
|
9 detained, 27 temporary permit visas, 1 departure
|
|
19 June 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
112: 84 adults,
28 children
|
32 detained,
78 temporary permit visas, 2 departures
|
|
27 June 2000
|
Christmas Island
|
3 adults – plus 1 baby
|
4 detained
|
|
10 July 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
30: 30 adults
|
16 detained,
13 temporary permit visas, 1 refugee
|
|
11 July 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
36: 33 adults,
3 children
|
16 detained,
14 temporary permit visas, 6 departures
|
|
11 July 2000
|
Cairns
|
23: 22 adults, 1 child
|
23 departures
|
|
17 August 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
74: 54 adults,
20 children
|
68 detained, 6 temporary permit visas
|
|
4 September 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
77: 69 adults,
8 children
|
31 detained,
46 temporary permit visas
|
|
14 September 2000
|
Water north-west Western Australia
|
101: 71 adults,
30 children – plus
1 baby
|
15 detained,
87 temporary permit visas
|
|
24 September 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
2: 2 adults
|
2 temporary permit visas
|
|
27 September 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
47: 37 adults,
10 children
|
38 detained,
9 temporary permit visas
|
|
2 October 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
14: 10 adults,
4 children
|
1 detained, 13 temporary permit visas
|
|
7 October 2000
|
Ashmore Reef
|
94: 84 adults,
10 children – plus
1 baby
|
64 detained,
25 temporary permit visas, 6 departures
|
|
15 October 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
33: 28 adults,
5 children
|
20 detained,
12 temporary permit visas, 1 departure
|
|
25 October 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
32: 25 adults,
7 children
|
4 detained, 26 temporary permit visas,
2 departures
|
|
28 October 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
116: 98 adults,
18 children
|
70 detained,
46 temporary permit visas
|
|
2 November 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
69: 62 adults,
7 children
|
64 detained,
5 temporary permit visas
|
|
10 November 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
24
|
9 detained, 15 temporary permit visas
|
|
16 November 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
48
|
22 detained,
26 temporary permit visas
|
|
27 November 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
100
|
51 detained,
45 temporary permit visas,
|
|
15 December 2000
|
Boigu Islands
|
3
|
3 detained
|
|
16 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
117: 84 adults,
33 children
|
117 detained
|
|
17 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
92: 72 adults,
20 children
|
74 detained,
18 temporary permit visas
|
|
18 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
35: 35 adults
|
35 detained
|
|
18 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
97: 78 adults,
19 children
|
97 detained
|
|
21 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
32: 30 adults,
2 children
|
32 detained
|
|
21 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
30: 26 adults,
4 children
|
30 detained
|
|
21 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
43: 36 adults,
7 children
|
43 detained
|
|
27 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
49: 38 adults,
11 children
|
49 detained
|
|
30 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
177: 108 adults,
69 children
|
173 detained,
4 temporary permit visas
|
|
31 December 2000
|
Ashmore Islands
|
68: 68 adults
|
68 detained
|
