FED: Coastline can t be 100 per cent safe Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-1999
FED: Coastline can t be 100 per cent safe Howard

CANBERRA, April 14 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard says Australia's coastline is too vast
for any coastal surveillance to be perfect.

But he has promised an inquiry into the undetected arrival of three groups of boat people
will leave no stone unturned.

"There's no way that you can have a 100 per cent perfect surveillance system with a
coastline as vast and disparate as Australia's," he told the Nine Network's Nightline.

"It's a very big country with a very big coastline and we have to be realistic about what
can be achieved.

"But I assure the Australian people that we will leave no stone unturned to give ourselves
the best surveillance system we can afford."

Mr Howard has established a prime ministerial taskforce into the landings following the
most recent in which at least 60 people came ashore on the NSW north coast.

The illegal immigrants are all believed to be from China, which has now promised to help
Australia prevent a repeat of the incidents.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China was opposed to criminal groups organising
illegal immigration.

"The Chinese government all along has been opposed to illegal immigration and has taken
serious measures to curb illegal exits," official spokesman Sun Yuxi said in answering a
question from AAP.

"China stands ready to cooperate with relevant countries and work together to stop illegal
immigration."

AAP ss/jnb/de

KEYWORD: BOAT DAYLEAD

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