Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Australia and Sri Lanka signed a legal cooperation agreement to fight people smuggling amid Opposition pressure on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to tighten border security.

The memorandum of understanding will make it easier to investigate and prosecute smugglers while legal assistance and extradition measures will be strengthened, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement, without detailing specific steps.

Dozens of boats carrying asylum seekers, many from Sri Lanka, have reached Australian waters this year, presenting a challenge for Rudd, whose policies were attacked last week by Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and former Prime Minister John Howard. Australia has until almost the end of this week to persuade 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to leave a customs vessel moored in Indonesian waters.

“People smuggling remains a high priority,” Smith and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama, said in a joint statement. “It presents a threat to the integrity of border security.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Angus Whitley in Canberra at awhitley1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 16:06 EST