Six Chinese nationals found in Kalumburu detained by immigration officials
Men who arrived at the remote WA community of Kalumburu are escorted onto a boat by Border Force officials. (Supplied)
In short:
Six Chinese nationals found in a remote WA community after arriving by sea have been detained by the Australian Border Force.
The alarm was raised when an off-duty police officer found two men in Kalumburu, 3,000km north of Perth, leading to the discovery of four more.
The ABC has verified images showing two of the detained men being taken back out to sea by Border Force officers.
A group of six foreign nationals found in a remote northern WA Indigenous community after arriving by sea have been detained by border officials.
The saga began when an off-duty police officer located two men about 12 kilometres north of Kalumburu on Monday.
The duo had arrived in Australia via an unknown vessel and were part of a bigger group, a WA Police spokesperson said.
A group of men who arrived in the remote WA community of Kalumburu have been removed by Border Force officials. (Supplied)
Another four men were then found at Kalumburu on Tuesday.
All six men were taken to the Kalumburu Multi-Functional Police Facility for medical assessment, and are in good health.
The men were detained by the Australian Border Force (ABF), who said it would "not comment on operational matters."
Two men loaded on a Border Force vessel on WA's northern coast. (Supplied)
The ABC has verified images showing two of the detained men being taken back out to sea by border force officers.
Police Minister Reece Whitby confirmed on Thursday afternoon the men were all Chinese nationals and had arrived by boat.
"It is the responsibility of the Australian Border Force and they have a responsibility to protect our borders," he said.
Reece Whitby said the men underwent medical assessments were now detained. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
"This was a West Australian officer, off-duty, who managed to spot this issue, and then other officers quickly were engaged."
Kalumburu sits on the most northerly tip of Western Australia, about 3,000km north of Perth.
'Like a sore thumb'
Kalumburu resident Esther Waina said people in the community were "shocked".
"We are a community of Indigenous people and non-Indigenous service providers — these people stood out like a sore thumb," she said.
Kalumburu resident Esther Waina said people in her community were concerned about safety. (ABC News: Emily Jane Smith)
"We thought they were refugees.
"We were very scared — how did a group of strangers arrive on our land?
"Our people live by the sea — they could just rock up and hurt any of us — we're remote and isolated."
The Kalumburu community is on the most northern tip of Western Australia. ( ABC News: Erin Parke)
Ms Waina said community members saw "Asian men walking from the boat landing" on Monday.
"Hardly anyone in the community knows what happened — it's been kept quiet," she said.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, told the ABC there had "been much police activity in town" this week.
He had not sighted the six men but said there was "a lot of talk about them".
Richard Marles was asked about the arrivals during an AUKUS press conference.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said he was not aware of the detail when asked on Thursday morning.
"We will go through all of the processes which we always do in respect of any incident of this kind."
Mystery surrounds bogged vehicle
Kalumburu is closed by road in the wet season, and part of the 260km-long dirt access track was deluged by Cyclone Fina last week.
So the sight of a man driving a hire car getting bogged earlier this week at the final major water crossing closest to the community surprised locals — including Ms Waina.
Kalumburu is at least a 12-hour-drive to the nearest town. (Emily Jane Smith)
"It's just weird that someone drives a car in the wet season through closed roads," she said.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, confirmed he had helped the man, who he described as being of Asian appearance.
He said the man asked if it was safer to return to Kununurra or Derby, both hundreds of kilometres away.
The ABC understands the man was interviewed by ABF but was released and he left on Thursday morning.
Boat arrivals last year
In February last year 39 men who said they were from Pakistan and Bangladesh came ashore at Beagle Bay, also in WA's remote Kimberley, having apparently come by boat from Indonesia.
A group of suspected asylum seekers arrived in the small WA community of Beagle Bay last year. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
Their arrival, the first of its kind in years, reignited a fierce political debate about border policy.
That group were flown to an offshore immigration detention centre in Nauru.
Two months later in April 2024, a group of Chinese nationals walked into the remote Truscott air base, north west of Kalumburu.
The men were also detained by the ABF after claiming asylum.
In August 2024, three people were arrested in Sydney and charged with conspiring to collect and conceal a group of unlawful maritime arrivals.
The criminal charges against a 26-year-old man and two woman, aged 54 and 32, are still before the courts.
Government 'failing'
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam claimed the arrivals were indicative of the Albanese government's failures on border policy.
"At least eight boats have now illegally reached the Australian mainland as part of at least 37 attempts since Labor came to government," he said.
"The Albanese government are failing at our borders.
"People smugglers know that Labor are always weak on managing Australia's borders and are escalating their trade."