Asylum seekers are deported just hours after being spotted at Queensland pub

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:26, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 00:26, 2 July 2026 A group of Chinese asylum seekers who have attempted to sneak onto Australian shores have been deported. Australian Border Force (ABF) found a vessel washed ashore at a remote camping spot near Weipa, the largest town on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, early Tuesday morning. About a dozen men allegedly set up camp at Pennefather Beach before they were picked up by two alleged people smugglers. It's understood the asylum seekers were driven into Weipa where some visited a pub and others walked to a Woolworths. The two alleged people smugglers were having lunch at a nearby shopping centre when authorities swooped. The group of asylum seekers were later detained and have since been deported. 'Every person who attempted to enter Australia without a visa has now been removed,' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Thursday. 'Those who assisted them will face the full force of the law. It's alleged the two men (pictured during their arrests) drove the group of asylum seekers into Weipa where they went to a pub and Woolworths 'It remains the case that no people smuggling venture has been successful for more than a decade.' A Taiwanese national, 34, was charged with one count of aggravated offence of people smuggling and is due to front Cairns Magistrates Court on Thursday. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars. The other man, aged 30, has been detained under the Migration Act pending further inquiries. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.