Iraqi boat people threw children into the water

Asylum-seekers from Iraq threw their children overboard in desperation at being turned away in the Indian Ocean yesterday, in the latest confrontation between Australia and would-be refugees.

The incident took place when naval officers from HMAS Adelaide boarded the Iraqis' boat after it entered Australian waters about 130 miles from Christmas Island. A spokeswoman for the Immigration Minister, Philip Ruddock, said that some of the asylum-seekers threw several children into the water and then jumped in after them.

They were all rescued by the navy, and Mr Ruddock said the fact that they were wearing life jackets suggested that the protest was premeditated.

Their vessel was escorted into international waters by the Adelaide, one of several navy ships that have been patrolling Australia's north-western coastline in recent weeks to repulse "boat people" heading for the island continent. Earlier, the Adelaide had fired shots across the bow of the boat in an attempt to force it to leave Australian waters.

The crackdown on unauthorised arrivals was ordered by the Prime Minister, John Howard, whose government refused to accept a boatload of Afghan asylum-seekers rescued from a shipwreck by a Norwegian freighter, the MV Tampa, in August.

The asylum issue is likely to loom large in the campaign leading to a general election on 10 November. The fortunes of Mr Howard's conservative coalition government soared after the Tampa stand-off near Christmas Island, a remote Australian outpost about 1,400 miles north-west of Perth. The opposition Labour Party supports the tough policy.

Mr Ruddock condemned the behaviour of the latest batch of asylum-seekers, saying: "I regard this as one of the most disturbing practices I've come across." He added: "It would be unfortunate if the steps being taken by the passengers led to a loss of life, but we will do our best to ensure that doesn't happen."

Mr Howard said that the incident would not influence the policy of repelling would-be refugees before they reach Australian territory. "Our policy remains quite resolute," he said. "We are not going to be intimidated out of our policy by this kind of behaviour. That is a sorry reflection on their attitude of mind." The boat, carrying 187 people, was believed to be heading north to Indonesia last night. Mr Ruddock's spokeswoman said that the Adelaide would continue to shadow it until "it looks like it's not going to come back".

The boat is thought to have left for Australia from east Java and was not flying a flag when intercepted by the Adelaide. However, its crew are believed to have taken down an Indonesian flag when approached.

The passengers were unlikely to receive a warmer welcome in Indonesia, as Mr Ruddock acknowledged, telling ABC Radio that he did not "have high expectations that Indonesia will want to receive back other people's nationals".

A spokesman for the Indonesian navy's Eastern Fleet, Lieutenant Ditya Sudarsono, said that if asylum-seekers turned away by Australia came to Indonesia, they would be handed over to immigration authorities and deported.

Some 500 asylum-seekers rejected by Australia are having their cases processed on the tiny South Pacific island of Nauru, which has agreed to house them as part of a lucrative deal struck with Canberra. They are to be joined by another 262 people currently en route to Nauru after being picked up by the navy.