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Go to India, Australia gives lifeboats to asylum-seekers

Devil Soul

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Australia gives lifeboats to asylum-seekers, tells them to go to India
By AFP
SYDNEY: Asylum-seekers held on an Australian customs vessel at sea for weeks were given lifeboats and told to make their own way back to India, a lawyer for the group said Monday.

The boatload of 157, who lawyer Hugh de Kretser said were mostly Christian Tamils fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka, set sail from India hoping to get to Australia.

“The clients we spoke to were absolutely terrified at what lay ahead for them,” said de Kretser, who is executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre.

“They were terrified of the prospect of being dumped in the ocean on lifeboats, without experience in navigating or operating a boat and having to take responsibility for the families that were on the boat. “The group, which includes 50 children, were picked up by Australian authorities towards the end of June.

They spent weeks on a customs boat, mostly locked in windowless rooms, before they were taken to Australia around July 25, their lawyers say.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, who claims they are mostly economic migrants, said they could be returned to India — even if not citizens of that country — under an agreement with New Delhi.

But all refused interviews with Indian consular officials on Australian soil and were instead transferred to a detention camp on the Pacific island of Nauru.

De Kretser said that after interviews with 15 of the 107 adults onboard, it appeared nine of them were separated from the others while they were still on the customs vessel and told how to use the lifeboats.

They were instructed in English that there would be 50 to 60 people on each boat and they would have to navigate them back to India.

“When they refused, saying they had no experience in operating or navigating a boat, and couldn't take responsibility for ensuring the safety of those onboard, the officers told them that it was an Australian government decision and they had to obey,” he said.

De Kretser claimed access to the group had been extremely limited, but said some told him they had been living in India for less than six months when they made the voyage.

He said they had spoken of a precarious existence in India, where they were unable to work and their children could not attend school, while some had fears about their safety.

“These 157 men, women and children have been subjected to a level of cruelty that has no place in modern Australia,” he said.

Under Australia's hardline policy for asylum-seekers, designed to prevent deaths at sea, those arriving by boat are sent to Papua New Guinea and Nauru and denied resettlement in Australia even if found to be genuine refugees.

Canberra also has a policy of turning boats back when it is safe to do so, while asylum-seekers coming ashore in Indonesia have claimed Australian authorities put them on lifeboats and turned them back.
 
Australia gives lifeboats to asylum-seekers, tells them to go to India
By AFP
SYDNEY: Asylum-seekers held on an Australian customs vessel at sea for weeks were given lifeboats and told to make their own way back to India, a lawyer for the group said Monday.

The boatload of 157, who lawyer Hugh de Kretser said were mostly Christian Tamils fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka, set sail from India hoping to get to Australia.

“The clients we spoke to were absolutely terrified at what lay ahead for them,” said de Kretser, who is executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre.

“They were terrified of the prospect of being dumped in the ocean on lifeboats, without experience in navigating or operating a boat and having to take responsibility for the families that were on the boat. “The group, which includes 50 children, were picked up by Australian authorities towards the end of June.

They spent weeks on a customs boat, mostly locked in windowless rooms, before they were taken to Australia around July 25, their lawyers say.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, who claims they are mostly economic migrants, said they could be returned to India — even if not citizens of that country — under an agreement with New Delhi.

But all refused interviews with Indian consular officials on Australian soil and were instead transferred to a detention camp on the Pacific island of Nauru.

De Kretser said that after interviews with 15 of the 107 adults onboard, it appeared nine of them were separated from the others while they were still on the customs vessel and told how to use the lifeboats.

They were instructed in English that there would be 50 to 60 people on each boat and they would have to navigate them back to India.

“When they refused, saying they had no experience in operating or navigating a boat, and couldn't take responsibility for ensuring the safety of those onboard, the officers told them that it was an Australian government decision and they had to obey,” he said.

De Kretser claimed access to the group had been extremely limited, but said some told him they had been living in India for less than six months when they made the voyage.

He said they had spoken of a precarious existence in India, where they were unable to work and their children could not attend school, while some had fears about their safety.

“These 157 men, women and children have been subjected to a level of cruelty that has no place in modern Australia,” he said.

Under Australia's hardline policy for asylum-seekers, designed to prevent deaths at sea, those arriving by boat are sent to Papua New Guinea and Nauru and denied resettlement in Australia even if found to be genuine refugees.

Canberra also has a policy of turning boats back when it is safe to do so, while asylum-seekers coming ashore in Indonesia have claimed Australian authorities put them on lifeboats and turned them back.


Oh hamne sabka tekha utharaka hai kya,jaha se aye ho wapas jao we are overpopulated anyways
 
@Devil Soul ...........In desperation you didn't read the article .................They are Sri Lankan Tamil Christians
and what made u think i didnt read the article???? or is the news i posted wrong??? or is the title of the article wrong???? where am i saying/accusing that the asylum seekers are indian....and why shoot the messenger kid.... :coffee:
 
I think we dont need to take care of them.They are not our citizens .They are SriLankans.g
 
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Whoever the asylum seekers are....... one thing is for sure........ Aussies are arseholes.......... the whole lot of them............. I've come across different demented nations, Australia takes the cake!

@Aeronaut, would you like to comment about Aussies and their lovely policies towards immigrants (legal and otherwise)?
 
We need to understand that these are Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who lived in ghettos in India. For they can not or do not want to return to their homeland Australians will send them no where but to India only.
 
Why can't they just put them on a plane back straight away. So what if it costs a little bit.
 
..............
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, who claims they are mostly economic migrants, said they could be returned to India — even if not citizens of that country — under an agreement with New Delhi...........

India has such an agreement?..:hitwall:..........We're unable to control our own population man.....

India is a poor country with huge population and on top of that asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from all our neighbors Bangladesh, Pakistan and Srilanka are pouring into India......

These penniless people invariably end up in slums(Indian slums are mainly filled with illegal immigrants) and have no choice but to beg for a living and make India poorer by adding to the poor population..........and the world portrays India as the country of slums and beggars.......:hitwall:
 
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Whoever the asylum seekers are....... one thing is for sure........ Aussies are arseholes.......... the whole lot of them............. I've come across different demented nations, Australia takes the cake!

@Aeronaut, would you like to comment about Aussies and their lovely policies towards immigrants (legal and otherwise)?

Australia had a 'white Australia policy' until almost 1970.
Australian aboriginals were not even citizens of Australia till that policy was repealed in late 60s.
In 2014 Australian aboriginals are still not recognized in the Australian constitution. The debate is now on though.


On all accounts the migration for Europeans is much easier than non Europeans, which is kind of the same thing :D
 
I think we dont need to care of them.They are not our citizens .They are SriLankans.
one of the significant thing that are ignored by people are the ORIGIN of these later asylum seekers is india. SL gover do not now let people go as assylum seekers.

It is the SL refugees who have lived in india some of them never set foot in SL going to Aus in boats claiming torture in SL.

It is because these are nothing but economic migrants

India has such an agreement?..:hitwall:..........We're unable to control our own population man.....

India is a poor country with huge population and on top of that asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from all our neighbors Bangladesh, Pakistan and Srilanka are pouring into India......

These penniless people invariably end up in slums(Indian slums are mainly filled with illegal immigrants) and have no choice but to beg for a living and make India poorer by adding to the poor population..........and the world portrays India as the country of slums and beggars.......:hitwall:
that is because these assylum seekers came from india.
 
Fake refugees who come to Australia for our welfare system and to get jobs will be sent back to the country they made the journey from.

Aeronaut is spouting his typical "Australia is a racist country" nonsense that he puts in every thread with things that are irrelevant to to the topic.

It's just best to ignore it.
 
Thousands of non European migrants to Australia gain thier citizenship each year.. People who are beneficial to the society.. Not fake refugee criminals jumping the que on boats and illegal means.. White Australia policy is long gone and it's truly a multi cultural society now..

And people from the sub continent should be the last to accuse others of racial discrmination
 
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