Wooden boat with nine Chinese on board is intercepted by Australian Border Force and turned away

A wooden ship carrying Chinese nationals attempted to reach Australia before being intercepted by the Australian Border Force and turned away.

Nine Chinese nationals were rescued by fishermen in Indonesia’s south Java after claiming they were forced to return to Indonesian waters by Australian authorities.

The Chinese passengers along with three Indonesian crew members were transferred to the port city of Pelabuhan Ratu.

They told Indonesian authorities that an Australian naval ship had held them at sea for five days before being turned away.

Those on board told Indonesian police that their wooden boat had been disabled and was adrift about 65 kilometers off Java when they were rescued by fishermen and taken to Pelabuhan Ratu on Saturday afternoon, reported The Australian weekend.

The port has long been known as a departure point for illegal smuggling ships.

It is the fourth known attempt by Chinese national groups to reach Australia in 2024, after smugglers told them asylum awaited them if they reached land.

The Indonesian crew have made different statements to local authorities, one of which claimed that they had been “captured by the Australian navy”, which transferred them all to a new “lifeboat” before pushing them back to Indonesia.

Another claimed that the navy had returned them to their original ship.

Indonesian intelligence also questioned whether the men had been rescued by local fishermen or had actually been detained by the local smuggling ring that attempted to cover up their involvement.

All passengers and crew continue to be questioned at Pelabuhan Ratu.

Their detention indicates an increase in attempts by mainland Chinese nationals to reach Australia by boat in small groups.

In the past, Chinese nationals were more likely to have flown to Australia and claimed asylum.

More to come