The Rudd Government’s attempt to soften the Howard Government’s policy of offshore detention of boat-people by abolishing the “Pacific Solution”, has been followed by a sudden upsurge in the number of boats arriving at Ashmore Reef off the north-west coast of Australia, the detention in Indonesia of a boatload of 255 people originally from Sri Lanka, and a further 78 people who were taken aboard the Australian customs vessel, Oceanic Viking, off the coast of Java.Further arrivals are expected of…
