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TWO PEOPLE HAVE died, including a young child, and two have been seriously hurt after an asylum-seeker boat capsized off Australia today.
The overloaded Indonesian fishing boat was spotted afloat by Australian customs 14 nautical miles north of the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
Two customs officials from the Ocean Protector boarded the vessel but it was immediately pounded by two large waves that rolled it and sent people flying into the water, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said.
“The men and women aboard (Ocean Protector) acted quickly to rescue those who went into the water and 95 have been recovered but that includes two people who are deceased,” Clare said.
“The two custom officers were recovered and are safe and uninjured.”
Two dead
The dead included a boy aged four to five and a woman in her 30s. Two others were seriously injured from swallowing water or diesel fuel — one of them a six-to-seven year-old boy and the other a pregnant woman in her 20s.
“Initial advice is that border command believe they have rescued everyone on board the vessel, but it is important to continue the search just in case there is anyone else there,” added Clare.
Most of those rescued are believed to be Afghan, but officials said Middle Eastern nationalities were on board, as well as three Indonesians who were likely crew.
They were transferred to an immigration facility on Christmas Island to undergo health, security and identity checks.
Christmas Island administrator Jon Stanhope told ABC it was fortunate that the Ocean Protector was close to the boat when it went down and was able to respond quickly.
“I think it’s a very fortunate coincidence that customs were within the vicinity and were able to respond very quickly,” he said.
Australia is facing a steady influx of asylum-seekers arriving by boat, many of whom use Indonesia as a transit hub, paying people-smugglers for passage on leaky wooden vessels after fleeing their home countries.
Hundreds have died making the treacherous journey over the past few years.
Earlier this month, a naval vessel plucked 77 asylum-seekers to safety after their boat broke up on the way to Australia.
Asylum-seeker numbers expected to spike again
While there has been a lull in boat arrivals in recent months due to heavy swells and poor weather, the numbers arriving are starting to spike again.
At least four boats were taken to Christmas Island over the weekend, Stanhope said, with one of them carrying 128 people.
To deter people from making the dangerous journey, the Australian government last year launched a harsh new offshore processing policy, with many boatpeople being taken to camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea in the Pacific.
But it has been criticised by rights advocates, with Amnesty describing conditions as “appalling” while the United Nations has warned the asylum-seekers’ detention was arbitrary.
Australia last year dealt with a record 17,202 asylum-seekers arriving by sea.
With the boats continuing to arrive, the conservative opposition has declared the policy a failure and said the government had lost control of Australia’s borders.
Dirty b#stard should be chemically castrated and sentenced to a life time of hard labour.
Too good for him Ted…feed to hungry pigs I’d say..
Here we would have let him go while he appealed his conviction, which would have been half that of his actual one with 70% suspended. He would have also been released early for good behavior.
No we wouldn’t.
Life has to mean life for an evil beast like him. Whoever released him in ’92 after just 3 years for abducting and raping those other girls should be behind bars too.
Disgraceful that he has the nerve to seek an early release. Sicko
This type of individual is the worst of the worst. He needs to be kept under lock & key & studied in a bid to learn more about his kind. To allow him apply for parole makes a mockery of justice & insults the victims memories.
Guillotine the freak! Or at least his genitalia. I’m against capital punishment but firmly support the idea of a no nonsense approach when punishing those involved in sex crimes, especially against children. Rape Should be grounds for castration-zero tolerance.., period!
And cortorise his wound with a blow torch!
I’d be surprised if he’s not hunted for after release anyway. If I was the parent I’d go to hell and back to get him.
And what purpose would that serve?
Satisfaction
Go watch a Tarantino film you ape. Every time one of these stories appears you get the internet hardmen trying to outdo each other with stuff they would do to a sex offender. Funnily enough in real life the relatives of victims are markedly more restrained and dignified.
I don’t believe that we should destroy all paedophiles at birth like some others seem to do
But there are cases like this one, where it would be a sick joke to ever let them out of prison
How do you know that someone is going to be a paedophile at birth may I ask?
Give him the electronic bracelet.
Then run 50,000 volts through it.
In Brussels Airport with my young children in 1995, I picked up a double photo of the abducted girls asking travellers to look out in their own countries. A few weeks later Dutroux was arrested and the bodies were found. I often look at the photo and still feel a sense of upset knowing, when I picked it up, they were alive, suffering such an unthinkable ordeal and facing an horrific death, while my children are now living adult lives.
The sickest thing here is that this appeal was even entertained in the first place. They reject this appeal because he was not clear enough about where he would live?? How about they reject it because he’s an animal who should spend the rest of his life in a filthy hole? There is a lot wrong with a “justice” system that would even think about releasing such a person
Can’t understand the red thumbs here. This person should be exterminated like vermin
I disagree. I think death is an easy way out for someone like this. He should remain in prison for the rest of his days. A person like him doesn’t even deserve the option of rehabilitation.
If you read up on the case, you’ll see that Belgium is rotten. There’s plenty of politicians and police involved, in the worst sense.
Be warned, it’s not light reading.
According to Dutroux anyway, abut sure he wouldn’t be lying about that would he… The two surviving girls testified that they only ever saw Dutroux when they were imprisoned.
According to Dutroux anyway, but sure he wouldn’t be lying about that would he… The two surviving girls testified that they only ever saw Dutroux when they were imprisoned.
I’m talking about a paedophile ring. Those poor girls were kept in a basement, out of sight. Usually I like to have links to back up my comments, but I don’t want to go reading up on the case again, as it’s as shocking, depraved and depressing as stories get.
I don’t know why anyone would say, “ah sure we caught them two, let’s leave it at that!” They ALL need to be caught and locked up.
You obviously misunderstand me; what I’m saying is that despite the fact that Dutroux claimed there was this huge paedophile ring no evidence was ever found, Dutroux has always enjoyed his notoriety and the attention he got. Despite loads of media attention ( the Belgian Press referred to this alleged ring as The Pink Ballets )and and police investigation, no proof was found and no one was arrested
@Kevin
I know the exact link you’re referring to. I began reading this one weekend and I had to stop half way through simply because I have never come across anything so unbelievably shocking and disturbing in my life! Hollywood horrors pale in comparison to what was compiled in the report. I actually started to get depressed and very down while reading it.
One thing for sure is that Dutroux was just s foot soldier/procurer for a most perverse and downright evil bunch of people.
If it was my kids. Well…….has anyone seen Law Abiding Citizen?
Watched a documentary on this abomination and It suggested that some high level people were in involved in covering up his crimes for some time.
A Police officer didn’t search his house completely and “missed” the basement which was added and that held the poor Girls who this Monster has held captive.
People like Dutroux should never be released.
Some people can’t be reformed and will always be a risk to society.
If you got rid of his arms and legs he wouldn’t be a risk.
Let him rott in there
Such a grisly case, so sad
Cut his b@lls off
Released in1992 after only serving 3 years for abducting and raping 5 young girls?? What sort of warped system of justice let him walk out the door!!!
Such a grisly case, rip
Now then now then
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