By Kirsty Needham
THE federal government has reportedly finalised its controversial refugee swap agreement with Malaysia, which will be signed this month.
A spokesman for the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, declined last night to confirm the ABC report, which came as New Zealand faced a large boatload of asylum seekers targeting its shores apparently as a result of the Malaysian scheme.
The New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, was accused by Amnesty International yesterday of scaremongering after he said New Zealand would not accept 87 Tamils as refugees because it would open a door for "millions" of others to follow.
"You open the floodgate, which, as you see in Australia, is one you can't stop," Mr Key said.
Indonesian authorities have detained the boat MV Alicia at Tanjung Pinang, where the asylum seekers on board have refused to get off. They told the BBC they had lived in Malaysia for two years before attempting to sail to New Zealand.
Gary Poole, of the Refugee Council of New Zealand, said he believed the attempted voyage by the Sri Lankans to New Zealand was a direct response to Australia's shift in policy to send boat arrivals back to Malaysia.
"I'm pretty sure it has been, because that's what Tamils are saying here," Mr Poole said. "If you can make it to Vancouver, it's not a stretch to cross the Tasman. These people are desperate."
No asylum seeker boat has ever reached New Zealand.
Mr Poole said it was disappointing New Zealand was now echoing Australia's divisive political debate over refugee boats. "There's no danger of either of us being swamped," he said.
The asylum seekers told the BBC they had had fled northern Sri Lanka at the end of the war, and had hired the MV Alicia in Jakarta. The Tamils said they had provisions for a month and wanted to go to New Zealand or "a similar country".
Other sources have said charts indicating the boat was prepared to travel to Canada had been found on board.
The New Zealand Immigration Minister, Jonathan Coleman, said yesterday there was "no concrete evidence" the boat was trying to reach New Zealand, despite the placards held by passengers. Mr Key's office dismissed Mr Coleman's comments and said he had not been privy to intelligence briefings.
Mr Key said his country was not obligated to assess asylum seekers unless they reached New Zealand territorial waters.
The New Zealand Labour Opposition Leader, Phil Goff, said asylum seeker boats were not an "overwhelming threat" and New Zealand's Greens called for compassion.
The Australian government said in May that 800 boat arrivals would be sent to Malaysia, with the aim of deterring people smugglers sending boats to Christmas Island. Four hundred people who have arrived since then wait in limbo on Christmas Island and will be sent to another country.
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia was negotiating yesterday with Indonesian authorities for access to the Sri Lankans, to begin refugee interviews and registration.
BYPASSING AUSTRALIA