Four suspected asylum seekers have been discovered on a remote Australian island.
The group of four men were seen walking on the beach at Croker Island, near the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, on Monday.
Northern Land Council officials said the indigenous landowners first saw the men, who were suffering the effects of a severe heatwave.
The council said the group had been assisted by local Aboriginal rangers and Northern Territory Police officers.
It is understood that foreigners are no longer in Australia.
A spokesman for Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the Albanian government had taken a hardline stance against smuggling operations.
‘No human trafficking enterprise has been successful under our government. “People who come to Australia by boat have zero chance of success,” they said. SkyNews.
The council has previously urged the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Albanese government to provide more support to rangers following an increase in reports of sightings of illegal fishing boats off Croker Island.
The four men were seen walking on the beach (pictured) on Croker Island, near the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, on Monday.
Rangers reported seeing several illegal boats on Croker Island that had appeared in the area (pictured Croker Island in the Top End region of the Northern Territory).
Traditional owners say the boats pose a threat to protected species and the natural environment.
Northern Territory Labor Minister Arafura Manuel Brown said the arrival of foreign nationals was “concerning”.
“These situations potentially pose a safety risk to local communities and I urge authorities to ensure they have the necessary resources to respond,” Mr Brown said.
“A big thank you to the locals, traditional owners and rangers who found these people and cared for them while they waited for the police.”
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said better communication channels were needed between rangers and police in the area.
Croker Island is a remote island in Arnhem Land, 250 km northeast of Darwin.
The island, which consists of beaches, wetlands and swamps, has a population of about 265 people according to the latest 2021 census.