IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison has finally responded to questions over an asylum seeker boat which sank off the coast of Indonesia.

Mr Morrison said Australian authorities were initially in charge of the search for the asylum seeker vessel after receiving a phone call about the incident yesterday morning.



Initial reports placed the vessel 25 nautical miles off the Indonesian coast, inside the Indonesian search and rescue region, but a Border Protection Command aircraft and a merchant vessel responding to an all ships broadcast were unable to find it.



The search and rescue operation is now being handled by Indonesian authorities, Mr Morrison said.



"Australian Government officials in Jakarta are seeking additional information from their Indonesian counterparts, including seeking to confirm where the vessel foundered. It is believed to have gone down in Indonesian territory."



He said Australian authorities would continue to provide whatever help was required by the Indonesian government but could not say what assistance was currently being offered.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Tony Abbott ignored reporters seeking information on up to 90 deaths after an asylum boat sank off the coast of Indonesia.

Up to 70 asylum seekers are still missing, feared drowned, after their boat broke up and sank en route to Australia.

At least 22 people, mostly children, are confirmed drowned after the boat, which was believed to be carrying about 120 passengers, struck rough seas on Friday off the coast of Java.

One of the passengers, a Lebanese man, had reportedly lost his pregnant wife and eight children in the disaster.

Just 25 of those aboard had been rescued before efforts to locate survivors were postponed last night due to failing light. The remainder were still in the water.

The boat broke up after it began taking on water about 6pm AEST.

The tragedy unfolded as the government sought to return two rescued groups to Indonesia.

Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott, ignored reporters when asked about the tragedy shortly after he addressed a sporting function this morning.

Nothing quite like being in Melbourne on #AFLGF day. Looking forward to a great game. My tip? Hawthorn by two goals. — Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) September 28, 2013

BREAKING: @TonyAbbottMHR has RUN from the AFL grand final breakfast & refused to answer questions about the latest asylum seeker deaths — Candice Wyatt (@CandiceWyatt10) September 28, 2013

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison’s office did not respond to questions until tonight.

The Coalition has applied a media blackout on regular reporting of asylum seeker arrivals and the actions of Australian authorities with a gag extending to rescuers at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Acting Labor leader Chris Bowen this morning called on the government to provide a full briefing.

“There are very concerning reports of another tragedy in Indonesia,” Mr Bowen said.

“It appears that the Royal Australian Navy may have been involved in two rescues, although of course details are very, very sketchy.

“Of course, days like this, all our thoughts go to those who’ve lost their lives and we give our support to the rescuers.”

The government needed to be clear with Australians about what role the Royal Australian Navy and others have played, Mr Bowen said.

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“The government has previously said that when there was a tragedy or a significant event at sea, then they would provide briefings,” he said.

“I would call on the government, through the home affairs minister or the immigration minister, to provide those briefings to the Australian people today.

“This can’t wait for Mr Morrison’s weekly briefing. These updates should be provided as and when the government can.”

NAVY RETURNS ASYLUM SEEKERS TO JAVA

BOATS A PASSING IRRITANT — ABBOTT

WEST PAPUA ASYLUM SEEKERS TAKEN TO PNG

ANOTHER BOAT ON CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Indonesian authorities have released pictures of the Australian Navy handing over asylum seekers and detailed last night’s events.

“Local people found 22 dead bodies floating in the water, most of them are children as they cannot swim,” a police officer named Warsono in West Java said early this morning.

The official, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, added that the boat was believed to have been carrying 120 people, and that 25 adults had so far been rescued alive.

He said the boat had broken into several pieces.

The asylum-seekers told rescuers they were heading to the Australian territory of Christmas Island. The passengers were from Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen.

It was just the latest deadly sinking of an asylum-seeker boat off Indonesia, a hub for would-be refugees trying to reach Australia.

As the rescue was unfolding, Australia was reportedly seeking permission to return a group rescued from another boat to Indonesia.

The group of 44 rescued by the Australian Navy near the Sunda Strait early Friday was then transferred to an Indonesia rescue vessel and returned to Java.

The rare return of asylum seekers was not a turn back and took place under an agreement struck by the previous government.

A Customs vessel with the second group was reported by the ABC to be off Timor Friday night and had asked permission to transfer the passengers back to Java.

The Australian navy vessel HMAS Ballarat was given permission by local authorities to enter Indonesian waters.

Both incidents come just days before Abbott is scheduled to visit Indonesia, where his tough policies aimed at stemming the flood of asylum-seekers have caused anger.

Abbott, who took power this month after winning national polls, has ordered a military-led border protection plan to deter asylum-seekers which will see vessels turned back when it is safe to do so.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop on the sidelines of the UN this week that Jakarta cannot accept any Australian policy that would, in nature, violate sovereignty.

Meanwhile, residents of Nauru have taken to Twitter this morning to announce the arrival of more asylum seekers at the detention centre there in defiance of an Abbott government information clamp-down.

An asylum seeker transfer plane has just departed from #Nauru Intl airport after another successful without incident human transfer. — Clint. Deidenang (@clintd22) September 27, 2013

Today the 9th asylum seekers families transfer underway at #Nauru International airport. Children spotted onsite. First bus load leaves tarm — Clint. Deidenang (@clintd22) September 25, 2013

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