Indonesia rescues 65 ‘after Australian navy towed away’ asylum boat

Indonesian authorities have rescued 65 asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia after their boat ran aground on a reef, Indonesian police said on Tuesday. An Australian opposition politician said the boat had run aground after being towed away by the Australian navy, underscoring the risk to migrants of a tough Australian policy. Australia has adopted one of the toughest stands against asylum seekers trying to reach its shores by boat, turning back vessels where it is safe to do so and holding indefinitely thousands of others in overseas detention centers. The boat that ran aground off Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on Sunday was trying to cross to the Australian-controlled Ashmore Reef. Migrants crammed into boats have been trying to cross the Mediterranean between Africa and Europe in recent weeks and the Andaman Sea in Asia, highlighting a global issue that many countries are struggling to deal with.

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