Boat Migrants Deserve Their Refugee Rights National Museum of Australia (CC)

Australian customs official say that at least seven people jumped off their boat rather than returning to their homeland.

An Aussie patrol boat assisted them but did not bring them on board, say reports. The asylum seekers were rescued on June 28 by the Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Larrakia. The rescue took place 217 nautical miles from Christmas Island.

A similar incident in late June took the lives of 55 asylum seekers, say Australian authorities, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare commented in an online BBC News report, "This is another terrible tragedy, another terrible reminder how dangerous these journeys are"

There is some debate among Australians that if migrants arrive by boat, they are evading a long queue of applicants for immigration. However realistic that sounds, analysts say that the Refugee Convention of 1951 states that refugees be given the rights to work and travel. Permanent refugee camps are not the solution, say Christian Barry and John Simon, co-authors of the article, Boat Migrants to Australia Deserve Their Refugee Rights.

These incidents of asylum seekers are taking their own lives put added pressure on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who has opposed the policy of stopping boat people. He faces stiff criticism on the issue by opponents since he cites confrontation of the problem may lead to security threats.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said, "I think it's an embarrassment to our country...I suspect the naval personnel would be only too happy to respond to orders that allow this problem to be solved," reports News.com

Abbott referred to the new Prime Minister's refusal to turn asylum boats around as "self serving."

"The Australian navy has no problem with boarding pirate vessels in the Persian Gulf," he added."You'd think that was rather more dangerous than boarding a boat-people vessel."

Mr. Rudd who made a quick visit to Indonesia last Thursday told reporters that an improvement on the asylum issue should not be anticipated. His major selling point in Indonesia would be to make Australia one of its serious trading partners.

Brushing aside the sensitive topic on asylum, Rudd told business leaders, "As one of the fastest growing economies in the region and the world, Indonesia should be one of our biggest trading partners. It will have a trillion dollar economy in a few years," reports AAP.