Australia does not have any legal responsibility for refugee claims for the Sri Lankans on board the Oceanic Viking because they were found in Indonesian waters, writes law professor Don Rothwell. But what happens when a situation doesn’t fit the law?
Indonesia
Bartlett: A call to stop mandatory detention for people smugglers
Anyone caught assisting with the unlawful entrance of asylum seekers to Australia is brandished a people smuggler and receives mandatory detention. Is Indonesia’s unhappiness at Australia imprisoning some of their poorest damaging our diplomatic relations? asks Andrew Bartlett.
Getting help from Indonesia was a tactical mistake
Lengthy mandatory detention isn’t the biggest deterrent for asylum seekers, governments turning back boats is, says Peter Mares. The most humane thing Rudd can do is stop the boats coming, because otherwise deaths will simply increase.
Let’s not abandon them to die at sea
Another boat has sunk, leaving desperate asylum seekers to drown in their attempts to get a better life. Amongst all the tough talking and negotiations with Indonesia, we mustn’t forget ourselves as a civilised nation, writes Tony Kevin.
Sheridan: Being hypocritical appears to be the Australian Solution
So, Indonesia did Australia a favour by agreeing to take boat people and house them in their detention centres and all they’ve got from it is a bunch of bad publicity? Time for the lefties to get over the fanatical hypocrisy and stop supporting people smugglers, writes Greg Sheridan.
Downer: The delight I feel watching Rudd mess it up
Alexander Downer is loving the schadenfreude of seeing Kevin Rudd battle Indonesia over asylum seekers. He should have learnt from Tampa that negotiating with Indonesia on refugees is never a good idea.
Best to stay on the boat and avoid Indonesia’s corruption
Indonesia has a notoriously corrupt justice system, yet we have agreed to send innocent people seeking asylum in Australia there. Angela Dewan explores the overcrowded, under funded and crooked Indonesian jails.
Electoral politics are more important than the Refugee Convention?
The Indonesian Solution is significantly better diplomatically, but significantly worse for refugees, writes Michael O’Keefe. Refugees won’t enter Australian waters and will be stuck at the same refugee processing point as when they left their homes.
The earth-asteroid collision that didn’t make headlines
On October 8, a mini-asteroid screamed into the upper atmosphere over the Indonesia and exploded with the force equivalent to two to three times that of the atom bombs that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Grattan: Refugees hold Rudd hostage
Kevin Rudd’s ‘Indonesian Solution’ for the 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers has turned into a debacle with neither Indonesia nor Australian in charge, writes Michelle Grattan. Will they have to remove the refugees from the Oceanic Viking by force?
Grattan: The Indonesian Solution becomes the Indonesian problem
Regardless of any slick deals that Kevin Rudd and the Indonesian president have made, Indonesian officials are angry at being used as Australia’s dumping ground and Rudd can’t guarantee children won’t be behind bars, writes Michelle Grattan.
Abbott: Rudd is crueler than Howard
Tony Abbott labelled Kevin Rudd a “hypocrite” on the ABC’s Lateline last night for criticising the Howard government’s Pacific Solution policies on asylum seekers, while subjecting the latest wave of boat people to even tougher conditions in Indonesian prisons.
Letter from...: Aceh Part II: the only Jew in the village
Jakarta may now control their lives but an independent streak still runs through the veins of the Banda Aceh province, with a growing number of writers, discussions of morality and pirated DVDs.
A tour of Indonesia’s detention centres
First hand experiences of Indonesia’s detention centres, where asylum seekers are treated like animals, beating are frequent, and there’s no access to medical care, education, or adequate food.
Grattan: How to stop the Indonesian Solution boat from sinking
It’s a delicate balance of using Indonesia to stem the flow of asylum seekers and getting them angry at being put under excessive pressure, writes Michelle Grattan.
Sheridan: Tough talking Rudd is right
Greg Sheridan may have been against the Pacific Solution when it was first introduced, but, he says, “it worked”. Indonesia is central to how we discourage illegal immigrants from attempting to enter Australia.
Australia bends over for the ‘Indonesia Solution’
The motivating factor for the Indonesia Solution is not the government’s supposed humanitarian concerns, but the “dog-whistle politics” of racism in the immigration debate, writes Damien Kingsbury.
Letter from...: Aceh: the only Jew in the village
This Indonesian province takes its Islam very seriously. The provincial parliament of Aceh recently passed a criminal bylaw that supported the death penalty, stoning and flogging for homosexual acts and adultery.
Grattan: Where to now for asylum seekers?
How times have changed since John Howard and Tampa, notes Michelle Grattan. Kevin Rudd’s relationship with Indonesia is strong and the Opposition’s ‘Labor are immigration softies’ line falls flat.
People smugglers are people too
PM Kevin Rudd may be talking tough on immigration, but putting the pressure on people smugglers — sometimes ‘mum and dad’ operations — will simply strain diplomatic relations with Indonesia.
Two earthquakes in 24 hours. Coincidence?
American Samoa and Indonesia have both had earthquakes in 24 hours and both lie on the so-called Ring of Fire. But is some relationship between the two events? asks Tim Edwards.
Timor history gets a Howard washing: spin and deny
Ex PM John Howard rewrote history with the claims of his and Downer’s secret support of East Timor’s independence, says Bruce Haigh. What about public opinion and the actions of the US?
Low key in Kuta as Top topped at last
Metro TV had been running the news all day. First the raid, then the siege, then the shoot out, until finally the police were prepared to confirm the mastermind of the Bali bombings had been killed.
Grattan: Time to close the book on Balibo
Even if the AFP’s investigation into the Balibo Five is successful — and that’s a big “if” — what good will it serve either Australia or Indonesia? asks Michelle Grattan
