Australia's deadliest asylum seeker boat disaster remembered 25 years on
On October 19, 2001, 353 people died when a fishing boat headed to Christmas Island sank in international waters off the coast of the Indonesian island of Java. Of the dead, 146 were children.
In Canberra, a national memorial service commemorated the 25th anniversary of the deadliest asylum seeker boat disaster in Australia's history - the sinking of the fishing vessel SIEV X on October 19, 2001. No fewer than 353 people perished when the 20-meter-long vessel, carrying over 400 individuals, capsized and sank in international waters off the coast of Java.
Despite being 70 kilometers south of Australia's coastline, the tragic incident occurred within a border protection surveillance zone designated by the country. Multiple wooden poles at the SIEV X Memorial in Weston Park, Canberra mark each life lost, yet the identities of many victims remain undisclosed. The Memorial Association ACT's Paul Meyer emphasized that the tragedy remains a political issue 25 years later, as some Australians turn against migrants.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
