During 2001 , Christmas Island received a large number of asylum seekers traveling by boat , most of them from the Middle East and intending to apply for asylum in Australia . The Norwegian cargo vessel MV Tampa rescued people from a sinking Indonesian fishing-boat Palapa . In 2001 , Christmas Island was the site of the Tampa controversy , in which the Australian government stopped a Norwegian ship , MV Tampa , from disembarking 438 rescued asylum seekers at Christmas Island .