Four foreign nationals have been discovered by Aboriginal traditional owners after arriving by boat on Croker Island, a remote section of the cast Northern Territory coastline. The Northern Land Council says the men, believed to be asylum seekers, told the local rangers who helped them, that they had paid money to be brought over to Australia.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Four men walk in the shallows after reportedly arriving by boat to the remote Northern Territory.
00:08As far as I'm concerned, the Border Force and all have failed big time.
00:13It's embarrassing to keep telling them.
00:16And they have known this issue coming.
00:19The Northern Land Council says the four foreign nationals showed up on Croker Island,
00:24Aboriginal land and sea country 250 kilometres northeast of Darwin.
00:29As far as we know, yes, they've been paid money to the foreign fishing people,
00:35the illegal fishermen, being paid and then being dropped off on an island
00:41without water, without food.
00:44It's just crazy.
00:46While Defence and Australian Border Force do operate in the Territory,
00:50it was a local network, including Aboriginal rangers, who managed to find the men.
00:55When they were found, they were found in dire conditions, hardly could stand,
00:59and community members and the rangers have assisted them.
01:03We're very concerned. We're worried about our border, we're worried about our people,
01:06we're worried about our coast, we're worried about our resources
01:10and we want to see Border Force do actually more.
01:13Border Force and the Prime Minister's Office declined to answer questions,
01:16saying they don't comment on operational matters.
01:20The ABC understands the four men are no longer in Australia.
01:25For more UN videos visit www.un.org