Papua asylum seeker boat found

A boatload of political activists feared missing after fleeing the Indonesian province of Papua spent last night in Australia's north after finally reaching the mainland.

The 25-metre boat, carrying 36 adults and seven children, was found by Coastwatch officers "in Cape York" about 2pm (4pm NZ time) yesterday after five days at sea, an immigration department spokesman said.

It is the third vessel of asylum seekers to reach the Australian mainland since December 2001.

The asylum seekers are undergoing health checks and being interviewed by Customs and immigration department officials at a remote location on the cape's north.

An immigration spokesman said yesterday he did not know exactly where the Papuans - who at this stage are still "unauthorised arrivals" - would spend the night.

"I have no idea," he said.

"I'm sure they're being looked after, but given the remoteness of the location..."

He said Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone would have more to say about the situation today.

Senator Vanstone earlier said she was pleased the missing boat had been found.

She said the vessel - a large traditional outrigger canoe - and its occupants had been found by Coastwatch after spending several days lost in the Torres Strait.

"There was an initial concern that four of the males had left the main group but they were subsequently located by Coastwatch and returned," Senator Vanstone said.

"Everyone in the group we have located is cooperating with officials."

Officials from Customs, AQIS, DIMIA and Queensland Police had made contact with the group of 30 men, six women and seven children and were considering accommodation options for them, Senator Vanstone said.

Convenor of the Australian West Papuan Association Louise Byrne said she was worried about the fate of some of the asylum seekers, who were leading independence advocates, if they were returned home.

"After that I don't know (what will happen to them)," she said.

Ms Byrne said the group was forced to leave because of increasing political tensions in Papua.

"We hope these asylum seekers ... are given asylum," she said.

"They have too much knowledge on what's going on in West Papua inside government departments."

She said there could also be repercussions for their families, whether or not they were sent home.

But an Indonesian embassy spokesman said the activists were not persecuted and his government did not believe they had grounds for asylum.

"The grounds for requesting asylum for these people are baseless," he said.

- AAP