Boat arrivals land at Christmas Island
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12 passengers and two crew have been taken into immigration detention.
Fourteen people intercepted on a boat near Ashmore Islands earlier this week arrived at Christmas Island today.
The Federal Minister for Immigration, Chris Evans, said 11 males and one female as well as two crew members were transferred to the Island from an Australian Customs vessel.
Senator Evans said the arrivals were unauthorised and subject to mandatory detention.
"All the members of the group appeared to be in good health," he said.
It is not yet known whether any of the group were asylum seekers.
Two passengers and one crew member are claiming to be juveniles, aged 16 or 17.
Senator Evans says they will be housed in supervised arrangements and not in a detention centre.
"The interception of this group of unauthorised arrivals clearly demonstrates the Rudd Government's border security arrangements are working," Senator Evans said.
"The excision arrangements and processing of unauthorised arrivals at Christmas Island shows that Australia maintains a strong anti-people smuggling stance."
Senator Evans also says the Government does not know the nationalities of the group.
"The Immigration Department will interview them tomorow and over the weekend just to make sure we know who they are and why they've sought to enter Australia unlawfully, but that will take a couple days because we want to make sure we get all the information we can on them," he said.
