The new policy announced by Tony Abbott to turn every boat arriving to Australian international water is inhumane, impractical and clear departure of Australian commitments under International laws and treaties. It is no more than a cheap stunt to drag the racist debate on asylum seekers and boat people to new morally low level.
“Australia is obliged under Geneva Convention 1951 and the subsequent protocol 1967 to not deport any asylum seeker arriving into its borders before examining their application for protection” said Jamal Daoud, spokesperson of Social Justice Network (SJN). “Tony Abbott is capitalizing on the government’s chaotic dealing with this issue for the last 2 years to extract as many conservative voters as possible”.
“The policy will also meet stiff resistance from Indonesia and would have definitely a backlash with already vulnerable relationship with Indonesia. The Indonesian will have the full right to revolt against such policy that will leave the full burden of dealing with this international issue on their poor country”.
The policy was also proven to be no more than a farce during Howard era. The navy could tow back only one or two arriving boats. The following arriving boats witnessed disastrous consequences when the navy attempted to tow them back to international water.
Tony Abbott policy is no more than a farce to deal with such small issue. The boat arrivals to Australia is very tiny if compared to numbers of asylum seekers arriving to other countries. Poor countries like Jordan, Kenya and Tunisia are receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers every year, when Australia is receiving nor more than 2-4 thousands/year for the last decade.
“Tony Abbott’s mad, evil, inhumane and illegal under international treaties new policy was encouraged by the government’s chaotic dealing with this issue. The government should have taken several steps in the last few years to change laws to relax the treatment of asylum seekers”
The government also failed to take any steps to expose the reality of the issue and the Australian commitments and obligations under international law. Failure to do so and the concentration on taking tough measures to stop the boats arrivals and breaking people smuggling module have encouraged Mr. Abbott to announce this totally inhumane policy.
For media contact, Jamal Daoud can be contacted on 0404 447 272
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