Nine Dead After Asylum Seeker Boat Sinks

At least nine people have been killed and 189 rescued after an Australia-bound boat carrying asylum seekers sank off the southern coast of Indonesia.

Indonesian authorities said a baby boy and a 10-year-old girl were among the dead.

As many as 204 people are believed to have been on board, prompting fears that more may be dead or missing.

Those rescued were brought by boat to the small fishing village of Cidaun

There were some reports that up to seven people had died, and conflicting information also about the nationalities of the people on board, described variously as travelling from Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, as well as Sri Lanka.

The vessel was headed for Christmas Island when it began taking on water and started sinking off the Indonesian island of Java after hitting a reef.

Some survivors managed to swim to shore in the darkness for two to three hours in high seas on Tuesday night.

Others were plucked from the sea by fishermen and rescuers and brought by boat a beach in the small fishing village of Cidaun.

A survivor is helped ashore by rescue and search teams

It comes just days after Australia announced a tough new policy to deport all asylum seekers who arrive on its shores to Papua New Guinea - even if they are granted refugee status.

The debate over refugees and people smuggling has long been a hot political issue in Australia and has intensified with an election looming in a few weeks.

Asked about the sinking, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday defended his stance, aimed at stemming the number of asylum seekers arriving in the country by boat.

A record 15,000 landed in 2012 and more than 15,000 have arrived so far this year.

Survivors rest in the centre of Cidaun village

He said the policy was "about sending a very clear message to people smugglers that if you try to come to Australia by boat you'll not be settled in Australia".

It is the latest boat tragedy near Australian waters. As recently as last Tuesday, a boat carrying 150 asylum seekers capsized off the country's Christmas Island, leaving four dead.

Due to Christmas Island's close proximity to Indonesia, it is the most popular destination for asylum seekers who pay people smugglers to take them from Indonesian ports to Australia in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.

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