oz:heaven for 'asylum seekers'
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politi...816-249xf.html
Asylum seekers 'threatened rescuers'
Date
August 16, 2012 - 12:28PM
Asylum seekers rescued by a merchant vessel off the coast of Java on
Monday are said to have made threats of violence to the ship's captain
when they were told he intended to drop them off in Singapore instead
of on Australian soil.
The captain of the MV Parsifal reportedly became worried about the
safety of his crew and capitulated to the asylum seekers' demands to
be taken to Christmas Island.
The incident was akin to piracy, said opposition immigration spokesman
Scott Morrison.
There were 68 people on the asylum seeker vessel but during the rescue
process one man fell overboard and drowned.
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The asylum seekers appointed one of their group who spoke English to
lobby the ship's captain. On arrival at Christmas Island, he was
identified to immigration officials as the ringleader of the group.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare told Sky News this morning that he
had reports of the group making intimidatory and "very aggressive"
threats towards the ship's captain.
It was not guaranteed the asylum seekers would remain in Australia
while they were being processed, he said.
"They now face the prospect, like other people who come by boat over
the next few days, of ending up in Nauru," Mr Clare said.
He confirmed one asylum seeker had fallen overboard and was believed
to have died.
The vessel, which was travelling from Fremantle to Singapore, is
reportedly a sister ship of the MV Tampa - the vessel that rescued 433
asylum-seekers in 2001 and became involved in a standoff with the
Howard government, which refused to let the ship dock at Christmas
Island.
Mr Morrison said the asylum seekers "should be locked up and charged".
''What we have here are pirates effectively taking control of vessels,
allegedly ... using force and threats and intimidation,'' Mr Morrison
said. He said a Coalition government would not be so easily
intimidated as Labor was on a daily basis.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters in Canberra today that if
anyone had engaged in unlawful conduct, that should be "acted upon".
But she also pointed out that parliament this week was moving to pass
new legislation to try and stop boat arrivals.
Victorian Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg said the incident could deter
merchant vessels from rescuing asylum seekers in the future.
West Australian Liberal backbencher Don Randall said the incident
confirmed suspicions some potential refugees were of questionable
character.
"This plays into what we've been saying for a long time that people
seeking asylum here ... some of them wouldn't pass the character
test," he said. "Under the Howard regime, we wouldn't have given them
a visa."
Meanwhile, as the Senate prepares to debate amendments to legislation
that would allow the offshore processing of asylum seekers, Mr Clare
said two teams of police, government and military officials were en
route to Nauru and Manus Island, ahead of the expected passage of the
legislation later today.
An RAAF aircraft was due to leave Canberra for Nauru and Manus Island
this morning, in preparation for setting up offshore processing
centres there.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the C130 aircraft will land in
Brisbane this afternoon and pick up more members of the reconnaissance
team before heading to Port Moresby. The aircraft will then head to
Manus Island and Nauru on Friday.
''We are proceeding on the basis that defence will establish a
temporary facility and then hand over that facility to immigration and
others as soon as possible,'' he said. ''We think we are talking days
and weeks, not weeks and months [for it to be operating].
On board will be a team of officials and a film crew, who will prepare
videos to discourage asylum seekers from coming to Australia by boat,
ABC radio reported.
The clips will be called "Australia by boat, no advantage", and will
be distributed through social media.
Mr Clare said the government focused on "doing this work as quick as
we can, to set up processing as quick as we can".
"That will send the quickest message to people smugglers that the game
is over," he said.
Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said she doubted that film
clips depicting harsh conditions at Manus Island and Nauru would deter
asylum seekers.
"They are not going to be as bad as the situation from which people
are fleeing," she said.
The Greens will continue their push for a 12-month time limit for
processing asylum claims offshore.
Labor senator Doug Cameron is keen to see the other recommendations of
the expert panel, headed by former Defence Force chief Angus Houston,
implemented immediately by the government.
He cited the recommendation to increase Australia's humanitarian
intake to 27,000.
"That would reduce the wait, at both Nauru and Manus Island," he said,
referring to the no-advantage principle for asylum seekers arriving by
boat.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday the measure had the
government's support in principle, but "we've got to work through all
of the financial costs, and they are considerable".
with AAP
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