Chinese men detained after being found wandering in remote WA coastal town

Six Chinese nationals have been found wandering around an outback community in Australia’s remote north-west.

Border authorities are remaining tight-lipped about the men’s arrival after they were found at the community of Kalumburu on Western Australia’s remote northern coast throughout Monday and Tuesday.

This masthead understands two of the men were discovered by an off-duty police officer about 12 kilometres north of the community on Monday, prompting a search by authorities to find more members of their group.

A further four men were found in the Kalumburu townsite itself on Tuesday, appearing to have walked from the beach in the direction of the community.

Kalumburu locals said the men caught their attention due to their unusual dress – pants in humid weather – and the fact all roads into Kalumburu are currently closed.

The community is only accessible by boat and air, prompting concerns about how the men got there.

Three Border Force boats were called to the coast to investigate.

“It was established the men had arrived in Australia via an unknown vessel, as part of a group,” a WA Police spokesperson said.

“The men were conveyed to Kalumburu Multi-Functional Police Facility for medical assessment.”

This masthead understands the men were then taken via the community’s school bus to the local airport, where they were flown out.

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When asked where the men were flown to, an Australian Border Force spokesperson said they could not comment on operational matters.

The discovery comes after a similar border breach in Pender Bay on WA’s remote Dampier Peninsula in February last year, when a group of 35 men came ashore and claimed to be from India and Bangladesh.

The Kalumburu incursion is the second time officials have been called to WA’s remote northern coast to deal with suspected asylum seekers, and comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended his government’s record on border protection.

Last month, Albanese was forced to respond to criticism of Operation Sovereign Borders, a joint agency exercise aimed at cracking down on illegal marine incursions from foreign nationals that was first introduced under the Abbott government in 2013.

This masthead revealed exclusive footage of a number of cray boats the Australian Border Force had purchased to give to illegal fishers to enable them to return home.

“I said that people wouldn’t be allowed to come here unauthorised, that’s precisely what we are doing,” Albanese said after the story was published.

“The truth is there were a range of operations put in place, including under the former government.

“It’s up to them if they want to talk about that, but this isn’t anything new to the government that I lead.”

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