...."So who lied to the Oceanic Viking asylum seekers?
Over the past month there’s been an uncomfortable stand off between the Australian government, the Indonesian government and a boatload of so called Tamil asylum seekers.
From the average Australian’s point of view, we got involved rescuing some asylum seekers in Indonesia’s “catchment” zone, took them aboard for transport and then had our immigration policy held hostage as we received demands about resettling them in Australia.
Thankfully yesterday the standoff came to an end and we finally got our ship back, but there does seem to be some confusion as to what exactly the terms of the deal offered that ended the standoff involved.
Then there’s Kevin Rudd running around the country pretending a deal doesn’t even exist…
For those who came in late the Oceanic Viking story started back in late October. After drilling holes in their boat and disabling the steering mechanism, the asylum seekers then got on their satellite phones and started to call Australian authorities demanding to be rescued.
Australia then forwarded on the distress calls to the Indonesian’s who then requested that the nearby Australian ship the Oceanic Viking respond to the requests. Upon confirming the boat had been disabled the Oceanic Viking took the asylum seekers on board.
What followed was a two day argument between the Australian and Indonesian governments over who was now responsible for them.
Although details of the negotiations were never made public, it is widely believed Rudd simply bribed the Indonesians into taking them. Seeing as I can’t think of any other reason to make the negotiations confidential and the sudden inexplicable backflip from the Indonesians, I’m inclined to agree.
Somewhat hilariously though it seems Rudd’s bribes didn’t trickle down fast enough as on first attempt to dock, the Oceanic Viking was refused permission.
Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah told reporters he had no instructions to accept the migrants.”We ban the Australian vessel carrying 78 Sri Lankan migrants from coming ashore at Kijang port. We order the navy and the police to enforce this,” he said.
Eventually after more negotiations Indonesia again accepted responsibility but when the time came to disembark, the asylum seekers refused.
What followed was a month long stand off between Rudd and the Indonesian government over the docking permission for the Viking and a series of demands from the asylum seekers, who were under the impression they were calling the shots.
In effect, the Oceanic Viking was reduced to an expensive taxpayer funded hotel. The asylum seekers hijacked the Oceanic Viking at a cost of over one and a half million dollars and neither the Indonesian or the Australian governments wanted to remove them.
So, how did the situation come to resolve?
Well after repeatedly claiming that he would not make a deal with the asylum seekers, the Rudd government turned around and…made a deal with the asylum seekers.
In a letter to the protestors, many of whom have spent nearly 4 weeks on the customs vessel after they refused to get off, Jim O’Callaghan of the Australian Embassy “guarantees that mandated asylum seekers will be resettled” and promises English classes and contact with family members overseas.
THE 56 Sri Lankan asylum seekers on the Oceanic Viking are due to disembark today and enter an Indonesian detention centre where resentment is growing about their special treatment.
Despite this however Rudd insisted no deal had been made;
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd denies Australia is sending a dangerous message to future asylum seekers.
And he continues to reject claims that a special deal has been struck with 22 people who’ve come off the Oceanic Viking.
Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, conceded yesterday the deal offered to those on board the Oceanic Viking was ”a special, almost unique, circumstance”.
The federal opposition has questioned whether Sri Lankans who yesterday disembarked from the Oceanic Viking would be given preferential access to Australian public housing, as it continued to accuse the government of doing a special deal with the 78 asylum-seekers.
But Kevin Rudd again denied giving the group preferential treatment, insisting that after their claims for refugee status had been assessed by the UN, the “normal procedures” would apply.
Kevin Rudd is refusing to say who on his staff attended key committee meetings at which a deal preferential to the 78 asylum-seekers aboard the Oceanic Viking was hammered out.
With the standoff drawing to a close last night, the Prime Minister’s office yesterday refused to give details about the high-level border protection committee of cabinet, which set the terms of the deal that will see successful refugees resettled within four to 12 weeks.
Yesterday, Mr Rudd refused to say who the staff were.
The latest confusion has now erupted again over the details of the deal brokered, specifically whether or not the Oceanic Viking asylum seekers will be resettled in Australia.
The Federal Government is insisting the Sri Lankan asylum-seekers from the Oceanic Viking were given no guarantees of resettlement in Australia.The Indonesian official dealing with the month-long stand-off, Dr Sujatmiko, said he hoped Australia will keep a promise to resettle them in Australia.
“This is their expectation and Indonesian government expectation,” he told ABC Radio.
But Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the Australian Government had given no undertaking to the group.
“They will be offered resettlement in resettlement countries,” Senator Evans said, adding that could mean Australia, Canada, New Zealand or a Scandinavian nation.
“There’s no guarantee they will come to Australia, that was never part of the offer.”
…really?
The Oceanic Viking asylum seekers have dealt exclusively with the Australian government. Repeatedly they have made demands to come to our country or else have refused to leave the ship they held hostage. Then a secret deal, which according to Rudd does not exist, has been brokered to them by Labor government persons unknown and they’ve now left the ship.
Does anyone really think they haven’t been promised resettlement here in Australia?
New Zealand has already refused to take the Viking asylum seekers and Rudd is dreaming if he thinks we have any clout to dump the Sri Lankans on Canada or any of the Scandanavian countries.
The Sri Lankan government has already made claims that the Asylum seekers did not depart from Sri Lanka;
Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UN Palitha Kohona last night denied the Tamils aboard the vessel had started their journey from his country, describing them as “economic refugees looking for greener pastures”.
At the end of this month long saga two things are very clear:
1. Australia has been played by economic opportunists.
2. Despite the lies Rudd is sprouting these people have been promised relocation in Australia in record time and in effect, we as a nation have rewarded by meeting the demands of those that after sabotaging their own vessel then proceeded to hijack one of our ships until their demands were met.
I’d call the Rudd government’s handling of the Oceanic Viking hijacking appallingly weak but that doesn’t even begin to convey the disappointment felt over the issue.
Somehow appallingly weak feels like a gross understatement.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:35 pm Fred(Quote)
Couldn’t agree more!
November 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm Martin(Quote)
Good article Oz.
I can’t help but think that the Australian Govt found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place on this issue.
No matter what course of action taken here would have brought condemnation from either side.
What were we to do… not pick them up and let them all drown?? Being picked up by an Aussie ship, are we now their keepers?
I don’t hear any tangible suggestions being put forward by those in opposition which to me is a sure sign that there really isn’t one.
Harsh as it may seem, the upshot of all this is that Australian ships, in future, will be less reluctant to go to the ‘rescue’ of these boat people which will ultimately result in drownings… will we as Australians accept the blame for this??
Not on your nellie.. the boat people have themselves to blame.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:16 pm Fred(Quote)
Dont worry, the Government will accept the blame for us
November 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
The trouble with Rudd giving one of his ‘we’re sorry’ speeches to boatpeople is the immediate claims for compensation that follow. The Aboriginals wanted money and so did the ‘forgotten’ Australians, some demanding it literally minutes after the speech itself.
The Oceanic Viking ordeal should have been sorted as soon as it docked in Indonesia.
‘Hi leave our boat please.’
‘No. Take us to Australia.’
Instead of wasting an entire month at this point we should have just sent in a few navy personnel to forcibly remove them.
They don’t have to shoot them or beat the crap out of them, just physically remove them off the boat. Obviously the navy would have to video record it too to stop the inevitable ‘but we were savagely beaten’ claims and to catch the few that would throw punches.
Sure Rudd won’t get to rule the UN any time soon but at least as a nation we’d have our dignity intact and be in control of our immigration policy.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:53 pm Fred(Quote)
Absolutely, why is this country in a constant process of taking it up the butt?
November 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
If Rudd continues to have his way we’ll soon be known as the land bendover.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:47 am aussiebear(Quote)
Essentially, asylum seekers are using our kindheartedness against us with emotional blackmail.
Every time the Rudd Govt accepts an asylum seeker, its pretty much giving future seekers a green light; as we’re seen as a bunch of push overs.
We might as well bring back Lara Bingle in her bikini and say: “Hey, boat smugglers and asylum seekers! Where the bloody hell are you?!”
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:01 am Bushrat(Quote)
As long as they are getting paid the high amount of benefits and other freebies (which I might add WE dont get) they will continue to come.
Get it right people, they are NOT asylum seekers, they are NOT refugees, they ARE economic INVADERS!
To be sure, I feel for anyone who lives in a country torn by war, famine, pestilence, Aids, or any one of a thousand problems, but one has to wonder if these people would not have been better served to stay and try to change thier own country?
No, that would be too hard, they just pay their money and piss off for greener pastures (us) knowing that the Australian Government – no matter what party – will go to stupid lengths to be seen to be kind and decent.
The only humane and smart thing we can do as a nation, is to re-provision thier boats, and send them home. If they refuse, put them on another vessel and return them. It is a sad fact that we shortly will not have the infrastructure in place to support the growing number of these arrivals, let alone the massive amounts of money being spent on them.
To put it into a basic perspective, if one of your family, perhaps a child, needs urgent medical care in a public hospital, there is a good chance they wont get it now. There are simply not enough health resources.
At the same time, we have to look at the amount of money being thrown at this to make us look good around the world and feel good about ourselves as a nation.
As a pensioner I get about $18 grand a year, but I am told these arrivals get around $50 grand a year in various payments and allowances. That’s a lot of hospital beds, teachers and police! Especially when you throw in the cost of things like Tampa, the Oceanic Viking and payments to third party countries!
I realise that I am an opinionated old bastard, but I am also a realist. The simple fact is that our kids and grandkids are going to pay for this in a great many ways, and it should be stopped at once.