Indians, Chinese high on Australia's border control list

Aug 06, 2011 |

Melbourne

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Indians and Chinese comprise a bulk of individuals that figure in Australia's border control watch list, the secret database to keep a tab on persons deemed a risk to national security.

With 34,189 citizens from China or more than 10 per cent of the total on the database, Chinese dominate the Movement Alert List, while Indians are the next largest national group with 21,643 citizens on the list, the Australian newspaper said in a report based on the data released under Freedom of Information laws.

The MAL is used for visa processing, border control and investigative purposes and is administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The data compiled by intelligence, law enforcement and other government agencies had 314,462 names in June, but the paper said the number is falling.

The list, which stores biographic details of identities and travel documents of concern to immigration authorities, reveals that while criminal concerns have gone down in recent times, health and criminal concerns have risen, the paper said.

National security classifications cover the largest proportion of people on the MAL -- 49.2 per cent in March, but this proportion has fallen since June 2009 when it was 58.27 per cent.

Those considered a health risk, has meanwhile, grown in proportion, from 9.09 per cent in June 2009 to 11.08 per cent in March - with tuberculosis being a key factor.

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