Boat from Indonesia lands unnoticed in Australia: At least a dozen ‘asylum seekers’ are rescued when ship arrives on Western Australian coast

A boat carrying about a dozen asylum seekers from Indonesia arrived undetected on mainland Australia, raising fears that illegal people smuggling could expand.

The people on board were reportedly rescued by Wunambal Gaambera indigenous people on Tuesday when the ship docked in a remote stretch of the Anjo Peninsula, on the northern tip of Western Australia.

The all-male group then walked through rugged bushland in 35 degree Celsius heat, arriving at the remote Truscott North Kimberley Airport on Wednesday.

They were given food and water by airport staff, who described them as ‘poor’.

State Liberal Party MP Neil Thomson told Daily Mail Australia news of the arrivals was an “obvious concern” for Australians and indicative of the federal government’s position on asylum seekers.

“It raises questions about the broader messaging Australia has been sending in recent days, especially with the release of the convicted individuals released under the court order,” he said.

On November 8, 93 asylum seekers were released into the community after the Supreme Court ruled that their indefinite detention was unlawful.

Three of those released are murderers, one of whom killed a pregnant woman in Malaysia, and another previously jailed for raping a 10-year-old boy in Sydney.

Home Secretary Clare O’Neil has since introduced a series of tough new visa conditions for the released prisoners, including ankle tracking devices and curfews.

Although the ruling is unlikely to affect the status of future asylum seekers, ruthless people smuggling gangs are known to use any change in Australia’s tough stance on illegal immigration to convince vulnerable migrants to take their chances in unsafe boats.

Mr Thomson said local authorities have called for greater protection from Australian Border Force forces along the north coast following recent ‘raids’ by Indonesian fishing boats.

“We are very vulnerable in the north, we don’t have enough defense presence,” he said.

It is believed the boat landed on the Anjo Peninsula, at the northern tip of WA (pictured)

“If this is the message the Australian government is sending to people smugglers, then we need more protection in the north.

“I think that’s a very clear message because the people of the Kimberley don’t want people to just be out there rocking out. It’s very traumatic.’

Mr Thomson noted that during the ‘Rudd-Gillard years’ between 2007 and 2013, around 1,100 asylum seekers drowned trying to reach Australian shores.

“Australia cannot afford to unleash that terrible trade on our continent again because of the immediate and dire consequences for the people taking these enormous risks,” he said.

An ABF spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the agency ‘does not comment on operational matters’.