Embassy Statement on Vietnamese people who have escaped Immigration Detention in Australia

In response to Vietnamese media enquiries about a story in the Sunday Age Newspaper on 29 January 2012 regarding a number of Vietnamese people who have escaped from immigration detention facilities in Australia, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam said:

"The Australian Government has placed a high priority on the location of these people in cooperation with relevant Australian agencies, including police. Our interest is in locating the people who have escaped and returning them to the safety and security of the detention centre network, where they are/will be treated humanely.

If any indicators of people trafficking are present, the suspected victim or circumstances are referred to the Australian Federal Police for assessment. However, based on advice from police, there is no indication of people trafficking in these cases.

Australia has a strong, multi-layered border protection regime and is committed to working with countries in the region, including Vietnam, and international organisations to develop a sustainable regional response to irregular migration including discouraging people smuggling.

Since 2010, 26 Vietnamese people who have made irregular maritime arrivals to Australia have been returned to Vietnam, including one in January 2012".