CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - Australia has deported 101 Chinese citizens caught trying to sneak into the country on boats this spring.

'They shouldn't believe the lies peddled by people traffickers'

Thursday's move was made to try to discourage others from making a similar journey, the government said.

Australia also released a statement in China warning people that anyone who tries to enter the country illegally will be detained.

"I hope that the very public return of the group will send a strong message to others that they shouldn't believe the lies peddled by people traffickers," Australia's Minister of Immigration said.

The world needs to know that "Australia is not such a soft touch when it comes to illegal boatpeople," Philip Ruddock added.

In case the threat is not enough, Australia plans to spend more money on coastal surveillance.

In the first six months of this year, more than 600 illegal migrants have been nabbed trying to get into Australia by sea. Most were from China. Some paid more than $20,000 US for the voyage.

Two boats carrying a total of more than 250 Chinese citizens have been stopped by Canadian officials off the West Coast in the past month.

Many of the passengers have applied for refugee status. Authorities plan to prosecute the people who organized the scheme.

Canadian investigators say "human smuggling" is a growing problem worldwide.