By Samantha Hayes
The boat that sank off the coast of Indonesia leaving 200 people feared dead had only 25 life jackets on board. Six of those life jackets were claimed by the crew.
The boat bound for Christmas Island sank off the coast of Indonesia on Saturday.
The tragedy comes at the end of a near-record year for refugees making the perilous journey to seek asylum in Australia.
As the search continued for survivors of the sinking it emerged the number rescued had been greatly exaggerated.
Yesterday the Australian Government said 87 had been saved after their boat capsized 75 kilometres off the coast of Java; but Indonesian authorities revised that figure down to just 34, mostly men and one little boy.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare says his focus is on the search and rescue mission, “where there are still potentially people out there alive that can be rescued".
Around 250 people were crammed aboard a boat designed for 100 with only 25 life jackets.
The crew took six of those while the rest were fought over by desperate asylum seekers who spent five hours in the water before fishermen plucked them to safety.
The survivors were from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Dubai.
Andrew Beswick, of Amnesty International, says “what we need to bear in mind is that these are families fleeing violence and these people would not take these risks if they felt that they had an alternative”.
“Unfortunately they don't feel that they do,” he says.
Almost 900 asylum seekers have arrived by boat in the past month and more than 4000 this year; the third highest number of arrivals in one year on record.
Former Labor leader Mark Latham says the Government's on-shore processing system is to blame.
"You can't have a good heart if you encourage people to get on boats that sink,” he says.
The refugee action coalition is calling for the number of refugees Australia accepts to be doubled, from 13,500 to 27,000 and wants people smuggling decriminalised.
The boats that do make it usefully to Christmas Island are destroyed by customs and the crew imprisoned.
The people smugglers know it is a one way journey, so they send vessels that are barely sea worthy with an inexperienced crew left with one option, to apply for asylum themselves.
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