Heritage Shopping Centre at Weipa. Photo: Cape York Weekly/File.
A Taiwanese man suspected of people smuggling has been arrested in a shopping centre carpark in Weipa on Cape York Peninsula, authorities have confirmed.
The 34-year-old has been charged by the North Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (NQJOCTF), while a group of non-English speaking people were detained as illegal arrivals.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP), Queensland Police and Australian Border Force (ABF) were alerted after the group were allegedly seen arriving in a boat at Pennefather Beach about 50 kilometres north of Weipa on the western Cape early on Tuesday morning (30 June).
There was “a report from the community about suspicious activity in the area”, according to the AFP.
The Taiwanese man arrested at Heritage Shopping Centre has been charged with one count of aggravated people smuggling (involving at least five people) “over his alleged role in a failed people smuggling venture into Australia”.
He faced Cairns Magistrates Court over video link on Wednesday (1 July) and was remanded in custody to reappear in the court.
Authorities also spoke to a 30-year-old man at Weipa and detained him under the Migration Act “pending further inquiries”.
Investigations were ongoing on Thursday morning.
All of the illegal arrivals had been removed from the country and it remained the case that “no people smuggling venture has been successful for more than a decade”, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.
Pennefather River near Weipa on Cape York. Photo: David Kempton Facebook.
Authorities launched the taskforce in February to target organised crime, such as people smuggling and drug trafficking. The taskforce also involves the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Leichhardt MP Matt Smith said: “The Albanese Labor Government takes the security of our coastal borders extremely seriously and I applaud the hard-working staff of our Australian Border Force who patrol the waters of our coastline, protecting our sovereign nation from incursions – be they biosecurity, crime-related, or otherwise.”
He said Operation Broadstaff was “an extremely successful ABF operation, which was deployed in the Torres Strait six months ago and has continuously proven success at intercepting unwelcome visitors from foreign waters”.
However, Mr Smith said he wanted to see the operation broadened.
Leichhardt MP Matt Smith says border security is a focus. Photo: Supplied.
“There can be no doubt that Operation Broadstaff has been an overwhelming and impressive show of force, but its capacity is limited by being restricted to the Torres Strait,” he said.
“I will continue to advocate to my colleagues that our Federal Government extend these operations further south around the Cape, enabling the ABF to continue to do their excellent work and protecting a larger area of our border and coastline to ensure the safety and sovereignty of our region.”
Mr Smith said strengthening border security “has become a cornerstone of my tenure”.
“By bringing our local issues to the attention of the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke MP and the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill I have been able to shine a spotlight on the challenges that our coastal and island communities face on a regular basis,” he said.
Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Susan McDonald said the latest illegal border incursion followed “rampant illegal fishing in the Torres Strait recently”.
“This latest illegal border incursion into Northern Australia should concern every Australian, particularly those living in our northern communities,” she said.
“Reports indicate this vessel was able to spend a significant period in Australian waters, having to travel the breadth of Australia’s northern coastline before landing on the Pennefather River near Weipa. The occupants were then met on the mainland and taken by vehicle to a bakery.
The ABF burned five illegal foreign fishing boats at sea as part of Operation Broadstaff earlier this year. Photo: Supplied.
“This is nowhere near good enough. Residents of the Far North should not have to worry about who is arriving on our shores, wondering if they’re armed or if they could spread disease to people and livestock.
“The Albanese Government must explain how this vessel was able to enter Australian waters, reach the mainland and have people move within the community before authorities intervened.”
Weipa, about 800 km north-west of Cairns, is one of the Cape’s largest towns and a hub for bauxite mining.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about suspicious activity to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or to lodge a Border Watch report online.
Original Article published by Luke Mortimer on Region Tropical North Queensland.
