356 refugees rescued off Tunisian coast  

Tunisia's navy yesterday rescued 356 migrants, including a two-month-old baby, off the country's southeastern coast near Ben Guerdane, the Red Crescent said, AFP reports from Tunis.
Red Crescent official Ammar Lamloum said the group of migrants, mainly Africans, had been trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa when they were rescued. "They are now at the port in Ben Guerdane," he said.
Four of the rescued migrants including a pregnant woman were being treated in hospital, Lamloum said, adding 38 women and seven children had been on the boat.
He said the migrants, who as well as sub-Saharan Africans included some Syrians, Moroccans and Egyptians, had left Libya aboard the makeshift vessel but it had broken down off the Tunisian coast.
The number of migrants entering the EU illegally in 2014 almost tripled to 276,000, according to European Union border agency Frontex, nearly 220,000 of them arriving via the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the captain and crew of a boat carrying 65 asylum-seekers say Australian authorities paid them thousands of dollars to turn
around and return to Indonesian waters, police in Kupang said yesterday.
The migrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka came ashore on Rote island in eastern Indonesia in late May,
after they were intercepted en route to New Zealand by the Australian navy.
The captain and five boat crew, who are all being detained in Rote on people-smuggling charges, told police they were each paid US$5,000 by an Australian immigration official to turn back to Indonesia, local police chief Hidayat told AFP.
"They were then told to take two smaller boats and turn back into Indonesia after the money changed hands," Hidayat said. "I saw the money with my own eyes. This is the first time I'd heard Australian authorities making payments to boat crew."
The migrants, including women and children who are being housed in a small hotel in the eastern Indonesian city of Kupang, have corroborated the account given by the crew.
Nazmul Hasan, a Bangladeshi migrant acting as the group's spokesman, told AFP they realised something had happened when the boat charted a new course.
"We knew that the crew received money when we asked the captain why we were not continuing our journey to Australia," he said. "He told us that he received some money from the Australian authorities."
The office of Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Wednesday declined to comment on the allegations.
"The Australian Government does not comment on or disclose operational details where this would prejudice the outcome of current or future operations," it said in a statement.
Around 1,800 Rohingya from Myanmar as well as Bangladeshis arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province last month alone, while others landed in Malaysia and Thailand.

356 refugees rescued off Tunisian coast

Tunisias navy yesterday rescued 356 migrants, including a two-month-old baby, off the countrys southeastern coast near Ben Guerdane, the Red Crescent said, AFP reports from Tunis. Red Crescent official Ammar Lamloum said the group of migrants, mainly Africans, had been trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa when they were rescued. They are now at the port in Ben Guerdane, he said. Four of the rescued migrants including a pregnant woman were being treated in hospital, Lamloum said, adding 38 women and seven children had been on the boat. He said the migrants, who as well as sub-Saharan Africans included some Syrians, Moroccans and Egyptians, had left Libya aboard the makeshift vessel but it had broken down off the Tunisian coast. The number of migrants entering the EU illegally in 2014 almost tripled to 276,000, according to European Union border agency Frontex, nearly 220,000 of them arriving via the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the captain and crew of a boat carrying 65 asylum-seekers say Australian authorities paid them thousands of dollars to turn around and return to Indonesian waters, police in Kupang said yesterday. The migrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka came ashore on Rote island in eastern Indonesia in late May, after they were intercepted en route to New Zealand by the Australian navy. The captain and five boat crew, who are all being detained in Rote on people-smuggling charges, told police they were each paid US$5,000 by an Australian immigration official to turn back to Indonesia, local police chief Hidayat told AFP. They were then told to take two smaller boats and turn back into Indonesia after the money changed hands, Hidayat said. I saw the money with my own eyes. This is the first time Id heard Australian authorities making payments to boat crew. The migrants, including women and children who are being housed in a small hotel in the eastern Indonesian city of Kupang, have corroborated the account given by the crew. Nazmul Hasan, a Bangladeshi migrant acting as the groups spokesman, told AFP they realised something had happened when the boat charted a new course. We knew that the crew received money when we asked the captain why we were not continuing our journey to Australia, he said. He told us that he received some money from the Australian authorities. The office of Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Wednesday declined to comment on the allegations. The Australian Government does not comment on or disclose operational details where this would prejudice the outcome of current or future operations, it said in a statement. Around 1,800 Rohingya from Myanmar as well as Bangladeshis arrived in Indonesias Aceh province last month alone, while others landed in Malaysia and Thailand.