OVERSEAS intelligence units based in Hong Kong are tracking another shipload of 53 ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants (ECVIIs) off the coast of Indonesia in the latest ''human cargo'' vessel making its way to Australia. Investigators in the territory are also searching for another eight ships they believe are in the region waiting to pick up more than 1,000 Chinese to take them to the US. According to a spokeswoman at the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong, the group was turned away by Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore before landing at Tuban, east of Jakarta. She said they boarded the ''very old boat'' in China seven weeks ago. The group was given shelter in Tuban while they repaired their vessel, and 10 members of the group of men, women, and children were taken to hospital suffering from hepatitis. ''Some are in very bad condition,'' the consulate spokeswoman said. She said the group, none of whom had passports, would be given fuel, food and medical supplies and would be escorted out of Indonesian territory to international waters within the next two days by a navy warship.
