October 25, 2001	Thursday	Shaba'an 7, 1422

SYDNEY, Oct 24: Australian Government has come under strong criticism on its refugees’ policy after at least 350 people died when a boat carrying more than 400 people, including many Pakistanis and Afghans, sank in Indonesian waters. The boat was on its way to Australian Christmas Island and capsized within just ten minutes of getting into difficulty.

The tragedy occurred on Friday off the island of Java but it hit the media only today after survivors of the drowned vessel told sad stories of their ordeal.

“I hold the baby on my neck, even four or five times she went down. I got her out and hold her on my shoulder,” told a survivor the story of his and his two years old daughter’s escape from death.

The International Organisation of Migration, IOM who is caring for 44 survivors, says most of those aboard were from Iraq with others from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Algeria.

The spokesman of IOM Jean-Philippe Chauzy narrated the story, gathered from the survivors, on an Australian radio: “...In the early hours of Friday morning, I think four o’clock local time, the captain reported that the boat was having major engine problems, and the boat was taking in water. And after that, we know that the boat sank very, very quickly — survivors say in about ten minutes. And 44 survivors spent hours in the water before being rescued by local Indonesian fishermen on Saturday morning.”

However many survivors, who were interviewed by ABC, told that they are undeterred by the tragedy and by the fact that Australia is not allowing asylum seekers to its shores.