Asylum Seekers Sink Off Australia

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

Filed at 12:01 a.m. EST on December 15, 2010

SYDNEY (AP) — A wooden boat packed with dozens of asylum seekers smashed apart on cliff-side rocks in heavy seas off an Australian island Wednesday, sending some to their deaths in churning whitewater as horrified islanders watched from above.

Rescue efforts were under way and officials said it was not immediately clear how many people were dead. The boat crashed below a cliff on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean where refugee hopefuls are housed in a detention center.

"A people smuggler's boat has crashed into the rocks," Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said. "A number of people have been rescued but sadly, some bodies have been retrieved."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/12/14/world/asia/AP-AS-Australia-Boat-Sinks.html

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Why it's the Deputy PM of Australia, not the current PM Julia Gillard, making this confirmation, I don't know. Maybe because of WikiLeaks revealing that Gillard wanted to kill Julian Assange? Still this story is sad.

[orb Jones]

1. asylum seekers

Julia Gillard is on holiday, as the government is in summer recess

[alp227]

2. ohhhh...in Australia/southern hemisphere it's SUMMER i see

summer recess? that doesn't really happen that much in America. Oh wait, the previous president loved vacationing especially that "now watch this drive" moment.

[orb Jones]

3. I seem to recall Obama having

some fun frolicking in the gulf of mexico, with his children

[alp227]

4. yeah, but GW Bush sure loooooved vacationing!

www.factcheck.org/2010/01/president-obamas-vacation-days/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4728085-503544.html

[armodem08]

5. Oh please... They're allowed to vacation.

The problem is that Bush spent more than half his time in office on vacation. Obama hasn't even come close to that.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Yahoo News / Sky News link : up to 27 dead.

At least 27 asylum seekers have been killed after their boat crashed into rocks off Australia's coast, say customs officials.

The wooden vessel hit rocks on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean where refugee applicants are housed in a detention centre.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101215/twl-asylum-seekers-killed-as-australian-3fd0ae9.html

[Skittles]

7. heartbreaking

:cry: