Australia intercepts boat with 194 refugees

SYDNEY: A boat carrying 194 refugees into Australian waters is part of a surge of asylum seekers fleeing violence in their home countries, the immigration minister said on Monday.

The boat, intercepted on Sunday in the Indian Ocean, was the largest of the 15 boats of asylum seekers detained in Australian waters so far this year. Its arrival renewed accusations by the political opposition that the government is too soft on immigration.

"We're absolutely determined to try and combat people smuggling but there's no end in sight in terms of the numbers of people moving through southeast Asia," Immigration Minister Chris Evans told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We're going to have to keep up trying to meet the challenge certainly over the next year or so."

He said Australia's new budget designated $524 million for border protection and combatting people smuggling. The vessel was spotted on Friday by a surveillance aircraft and intercepted by a Navy ship operating under the control of the Border Protection Command, about 23 nautical miles northwest of Christmas Island.

The nationalities of those on board was not immediately known.

The boat was being escorted to Christmas Island, an Australian territory where an 800-bed detention center houses refugee applicants while their applications are processed.