Thread: Australia : Race to block asylum seekers

Race to block asylum seekers
Nick Butterly
May 2, 2014

Customs officials were last night racing to intercept an asylum-seeker vessel - the first in Australian waters in more than a month.

_The West Australian _ understands Border Protection Command spotted the boat in remote waters between Java and Ashmore Reef yesterday and sent a patrol boat to pick it up.

It was unclear if Customs would take the boat under escort to Australia or try to turn it back to Indonesia.

Since winning power, the coalition has thrown a veil of secrecy over its border protection efforts.

Though the Government says there has not been a single successful asylum voyage to Australia since December, it has refused to give details of how many boats have come to Australian waters but then been turned back or towed back to Indonesia.

There have been six instances in recent months of asylum seekers arriving back in Indonesia aboard big orange lifeboats, claiming they were bundled aboard the boats and pushed back by the Royal Australian Navy.

The Government has confirmed it bought lifeboats for border security operations, but has refused to say what they are specifically for.

The coalition's clandestine policy of pushing asylum boats back to Indonesia has infuriated Jakarta and led to Australian navy vessels accidentally entering Indonesian waters.

This week it was revealed that the Cambodian Government had agreed "in principle" to house asylum seekers intercepted by Australia.

The plan has been condemned by rights groups and international experts who say Cambodia has a terrible record of human rights.

Under the Government's policies, all asylum seekers arriving in Australian waters are sent to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea or the small Pacific nation of Nauru.

Lawyers for detainees on Manus Island this week filed an urgent application for protection for a group of asylum seekers who say they witnessed the death of Iranian Kurd Reza Berati.

Mr Berati was beaten to death during riots at the centre in February when local police and villagers stormed the centre.

au.news.yahoo.com

Tony Abbott cancels Bali meeting with Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over 'on-water operation'
May 2, 2014

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has abandoned a planned trip to Indonesia due to an "on-water operation" which Australian Government sources believe has the potential to cause "embarrassment" to president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Yudhoyono had invited Mr Abbott to attend the Open Government Partnership Conference in Bali next week and plans were in place to make it happen.

But the trip has been cancelled because of a current asylum seeker operation.

Consistent with policy under Operation Sovereign Borders, the Government will not comment on details of the "on-water operation", but the West Australian newspaper has been reporting that a Border Protection Command boat had spotted and was planning to intercept a boat in waters between Java and Ashmore Reef.

If the trip to Bali had gone ahead, it would have marked a significant thawing in diplomatic relations which had been strained by Australia's asylum seeker policies, and by last year's revelations that Australia had tried to spy on the mobile phones of Mr Yudhoyono, his wife and other officials.

au.news.yahoo.com

Originally Posted by au.news.yahoo.com

the first in Australian waters in more than a month.

Welcome to the DRY

Originally Posted by Mid

There have been six instances in recent months of asylum seekers arriving back in Indonesia aboard big orange lifeboats, claiming they were bundled aboard the boats and pushed back by the Royal Australian Navy.

Aussies have been taking tips from the Thais?

I guess it's worth the cost of a few lifeboats, erm, to keep the Indos safe on their way back.

every boat Person wins a trip to Manus Island. Free

Indonesia says Australia allegedly adding passengers to asylum seeker boat a 'serious development'
Emma Griffiths


Indonsian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa says if the information is correct it represents "a very serious development".
(AFP/UN Photo)

Indonesia's foreign minister says the apparent addition of three extra passengers to an asylum seeker boat turned back into Indonesian waters is a "very serious development".

The asylum boat's crew reportedly told Indonesian navy investigators that two Australian warships put three extra people on board their boat - an Indonesian and two Albanians - before they were escorted back to Indonesian waters on Sunday.

Speaking at a leader's summit in Bali, foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said the information that people were put on the boat by Australian authorities was yet to be confirmed.

"I am informed that apart from the apparently original 18 asylum seekers who were in the original two boats, apparently some additional three individuals were added to the boat that was forced back to Indonesia," he said.

"So this is - if confirmed - obviously this is a very serious development
.
"As I said from the beginning we are risking a slippery slope in the facilitation of Australia's government for these individuals to be forced back to Indonesia."

Indonesia's navy has issued a statement based on testimony given by the crew, who were found on a wooden boat stranded on a small island in eastern Indonesia.

Boat timeline

• April 26: Captain Andre and three crew left South Sulawesi on board the KM Surya. Carrying 16 people from India and two from Nepal.
• April 30: Wooden boat reaches Semau Island and the captain got off the boat, took the GPS and documents and did not return. The crew continued their journey towards Ashmore Reef.
• May 1 8:00am: The boat is in Australian waters. By midnight the boat was examined by two Australian warships.
• May 2: The boat started being escorted back towards Indonesian waters.
• May 4 3:00am: An Indonesian and two Albanians were put onto the boat from Australian ships.
• May 4 5:30am: The KM Surya entered Indonesian waters.
• May 4 8:00am: The boat's engine died and it was stranded on Lay Island.
• May 4 10:00am: The boat and passengers were checked by Indonesian navy personnel.
• May 4 6:00pm: Handover letter for police was signed.
• May 5: Passengers handed over to local police.

(Information released by Indonesian navy investigators, based on what they were told by crew)

The crew members say they were in Australian waters on May 1 while taking 18 asylum seekers from India and Nepal towards Ashmore Reef.

According to the crew, the Australian ships escorted them back to Indonesian territory a day later.

Indonesian navy spokesman Colonel Suradi Agung Slamet says the crew told investigators the extra passengers were put on the boat at 3:00am on Sunday and the boat re-entered Indonesian waters at 5:30am.

By 8:00am the boat's engine had died and it was stranded on Lay Island where it was checked by the Indonesian navy, crew members say.

In response to the claims, a spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the Government does not comment on "on-water operations".

Labor's immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, says the allegations are very serious.

"We need to hear from the Government immediately that what they are doing on the high seas is consistent with Australia's international obligations, with the covenants to which Australia is a party, and particularly the protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air," he said.

"We need to be hearing from the Government right now. Now I understand that these allegations to date are not tested, but where allegations of this kind have been made in the past, we've heard from the Government almost immediately, and we need to hear from them now, that what they are doing is consistent with our international obligations.

"My concern right now is that the silence is deafening."

Greens leader Christine Milne says she is shocked by the reports.

She says if they are true, it would be in complete contravention of international law.

"These are really serious breaches of not only international law but of appropriate process," she said.

Abbott calls SBY over cancelled trip to Bali summit

Meanwhile Prime Minister Tony Abbott has called Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, after cancelling his own trip to the Bali summit at short notice last week.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott says the pair spoke on the phone this afternoon and committed to continue working on resolving current tensions in the relationship.

"In a very cordial conversation, both leaders agreed on the importance of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia," the spokesman said.

"They committed to continue the progress that has been made to resolve current issues and to strengthen the relationship further."

The Indonesian president's office said Mr Abbott used the call to express regret at not being able to travel to Bali.

The Bali trip was to have featured Mr Abbott's first meeting with his Indonesian counterpart since relations soured last year over spying revelations.

The ABC understands Mr Abbott pulled out because of an asylum seeker "operation" that Australian Government sources told the ABC had the potential to cause "embarrassment" to the Indonesian government.

The Government said the visit was cancelled to allow Mr Abbott to concentrate on next week's federal budget.

xxx.xxx.xx

Originally Posted by Mid

"I am informed that apart from the apparently original 18 asylum seekers who were in the original two boats, apparently some additional three individuals were added to the boat that was forced back to Indonesia,"

Hmmm, interesting...

more than interesting , and as the Greens leader has said the silence is deafening ............................

Asylum seekers from two boats combined onto one for turn-back to Indonesia
Michael Bachelard
May 6, 2014


Australian customs officials and navy personnel escort asylum-seekers onto Christmas Island in August, 2013.
Photo: Reuters

Two boats of asylum seekers have been intercepted by Australia’s Operation Sovereign Borders and their passengers combined onto one wooden vessel, which was then pushed back to Indonesia, an Indonesian government spokesman has said.

The turning back of these two boats allegedly deterred Tony Abbott from meeting president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bali today, though the Prime Minister said he had decided not to come because he wanted to focus on budget preparation.

A spokesman for the Indonesian Co-ordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs, Djoko Suyanto, said on Tuesday that 20 asylum seekers turned back on one boat on Monday actually came from two different vessels discovered by Australian authorities in the same waters at a similar time.


There is speculation that Tony Abbott (front L) cancelled a trip to meet Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to prevent embarrassment over the latest asylum boat incident.
Photo: AFP

They are the eighth and ninth boats confirmed to have been returned under Operation Sovereign Borders.

The spokesman, Agus Barnas, said Australian navy or Customs vessels had intercepted both boats, combined the two groups, put them back on the wooden boat of the larger group and pushed them back to Indonesia.

Some details remain sketchy, but Mr Agus said the first boat, carrying just two Nepalese people (not Albanians as the Indonesian navy originally reported) and one Indonesian crew member, had left from Rote island in Indonesia’s east on about May 1. The second boat, carrying 18 asylum seekers plus three crew, left from Makassar, South Sulawesi.

According to a statement released by the Indonesian navy late on Monday night, the larger boat had set out on April 26 and was intercepted by Operation Sovereign Borders vessels on May 1 near Ashmore Reef, an Australian territory in the ocean west of Darwin.

The asylum seekers on that boat said they had been escorted in their wooden vessel closer to Indonesia where, on Sunday, the three extra men, who were intercepted later, were put on board.

The wooden boat was then left on the ocean and directed towards Indonesian territory. It ran out of fuel or the engine broke down at Lay Island in Indonesia’s remote eastern provinc.

The men were stranded there before being found by Indonesian navy personnel, the statement said.

The 20 are now in immigration detention in Kupang, West Timor, while the crews were being processed at the local navy office, Mr Agus said.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to comment on the turn-back except to scotch early speculation that the two asylum seekers added to the vessel had been on Christmas Island for medical treatment.

Mr Abbott had made plans to accept the invitation of the Indonesian president to meet on the sidelines of an “open government” conference in Bali this week to try to smooth tensions over recent spying revelations.

However, Mr Abbott cancelled those plans late on Friday, citing the pre-budget period and the release of the Commission of Audit. The Indonesian president’s spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Dr Yudhoyono accepted that explanation at face value.

The arrival of this boat, however, raises the question about whether the real reason for the cancellation was to save embarrassment on both sides.

brisbanetimes.com.au

couldnt be bothered

Originally Posted by Mid

Originally Posted by au.news.yahoo.com

the first in Australian waters in more than a month.

Welcome to the DRY

We picked it Mid.

Green on the way

The fact remains that the corrupt Indonesian officials make a very nice wedge facilitating boat people to Australia.

For the President to be getting pissed off with the Abbot governments tactics of turning the boat people around and shoving them back into Indonesia's water lands squarely in the " tough shit department ".

I applaud Abbot for having the balls to tackle the problem head on where as the Labor government where absolutely pathetic and not serious in dealing with the issue.

He has gained much support from the Australian people for his actions concerning the Illegal boat people.

A job well done considering he is a bit of a tosser.

Originally Posted by terry57

He has gained much support from the Australian people for his actions concerning the Illegal boat people.

ever thought of a career in politics yourself ?

good to see the the pull factor of the dole, public housing under the last useless green- labor govt has been stopped, now it is PNG for them,or cambodia maybe.
what a mixed bag of lollies-nepali, indian, albanian,plus the expected muzzies.
hope the indonesians ask why they did not get exit stamps when they left for OZ.
all that money down the drain, wasted on corrupt indos,arab smugglers.
the nutty greens are pissed off the borders are no longer wide open,good to see.

I love threads like this simply because it flushes out the turds that think Australia should be a open shop to all the illegal scum who think we are a soft touch when it comes to getting a free entry into Australia on a corrupt boat from Indonesia.

We where a soft touch but Tony has grown a pair of King sized balls and sorted out the problem.

Fooking excellent I recon and all the crying bleeding hearts that reckon letting the illegals in can go suck the big one.

Fooking tossers that lot are.

Originally Posted by terry57

We where a soft touch but Tony has grown a pair of King sized balls and sorted out the problem.

Has he now , tis just the start of the Dry / Sailing season

F#CK The Green's and there Bleeding Hart Policy's too, my Local Town is awash with Arabs [as a Local described em?] and Boat people, lining up at the Commonwealth Bank before it opens.
all this 4 km from where the Car Factories and associated Industries are closing down,

it's the 3rd World in the making in me own backyard, no Pensions for Aussies? I wonder why!

Welcome to Great Britain, it is even worse.
The sad thing about the last few remaining British is they tell Me on A daily basis is that Australia has got it right.
Honestly British folks are knocked back from emigrating out there, so they assume Australia is tough on immigration.
Stupid Poms admiring tough Aussie rules.

Originally Posted by terry57

turds that think Australia should be a open shop to all the illegal scum

Border Protection does a good job. Country must be allowed to protect her borders.

Hopefully this happens in most humane way possible.

Milne is there for good of the greens, screw the country.

Originally Posted by wasabi

Stupid Poms admiring tough Aussie rules.

UK is chained to the EU and can not independently decide immigration policies. Euros want open borders, then most of their poor want to go to the UK for better life like it's New America of europe. Poms are not stupid mate, they are locked.