Community leaders, including the chairman of the federal government’s Torres Strait Regional Authority, John Kris, have accused the Department of Immigration of turning a blind eye to the worsening problem north of Cape York, with the political debate instead focusing attention on boat arrivals in the Indian Ocean.
“They are not policing the border…. it is difficult to know how many people are coming across,” Kris told The Australian.
”There has been too much focus put on the boat arrivals and not enough attention on the Torres Strait, where more people are moving into these waters.”
Some communities have recently taken matters into their own hands by “losing the borders” to visitors — some of whom they claim roam islands armed with machetes and who are either not eligible for or have overstayed free movement provisions extended to some villages in the Western Province of PNG.
The Torres Strait Treaty, signed 30 years ago, allows traditional activities to continue between specified villages on both sides of the border.
But documents obtained by The Australian early last year showed that the government was already aware that thousands of PNG citizens were illegally crossing the border.
The Torres Strait Island Regional Council, which represents 14 islands, says little has been done, with some communities having “in excess of 500 PNG nationals turn up” without warning, draining the local water supply.
