5 Apr 2006

Australia checking reports of more Papuan boatpeople

2:06 pm on 5 April 2006

The Australian Government has confirmed there are reports another boat, carrying six people from the Indonesian province of Papua, has landed on an Australian island.

Two months ago, 43 Papuans landed in Australia and the decision to grant all but one of them protection visas has sparked a diplomatic crisis with Indonesia.

The ABC reports that a spokesman for the Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, has confirmed there are reports of another boatload arriving, but is making no further comment.

Australian papers say the boat is carrying a family of six, with four children, including a two-month-old baby.

The Australian Customs Service is trying to confirm reports that a family of six landed on Bamboo Island in the Torres Strait on Sunday after a voyage from the Papuan coastal town of Merauke.

Customs says it can not confirm the reports and it is liaising with other authorities in the area.