At least 22 dead after assylum boat capsizes

Reuters 2013-09-28

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EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3

A boat carrying migrants to Australia sank off the Indonesian coast killing at least 22 people, Indonesian police said, a sign that Australia's tough new immigration rules may not be enough to deter would-be asylum seekers.

It happened off the southern coast of Java about 190 km (120 miles) south of Jakarta.

Video showed authorities and residents moving recovered bodies, including those of children, to a makeshift morgue.

Officials say the passengers were from the Middle East and were heading to Christmas Island, a frequent destination for refugee boats from Indonesia and a favoured route for people-smugglers.

This latest disaster will cast a shadow over a visit to Jakarta on Monday (September 30) by Australia's new conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose tough stance on immigration was at the heart of his election campaign.

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