Please, don't judge us all by our government!

After daring not to get involved in this thread. I feel the need to now.

As I way up both Aldaron's and Paul's views here. I find myself in the middle, slightly to the right.

Sure humanitarian aid, go for it. But they are illegal immigrants and not the first and certainly not the last http://216.40.212.6/Board/ubb/frown.gif

Military enforcement was quite contrary to what was needed. As Aldaron said, the Australian Federal Police would have been ideal here with observment by Customs officials.

The Tampa's cpt may have had his 'hands tied'. But it was his decision to breach illegally Australian Territorial Waters.

Which of course made the whole deal illegal and started it all off.

Personally I'm sick to death of hearing all the crap on this topic. From what we should and shouldn't have done.

Ideally Christmas Island should have been a waypoint for the refugees for humanitarian reasons. Untill appropriate transport was aquired to take them somewhere more appropriate.

Honestly I've heard enough. But the same shit will keep happening until they stop wanting to come here. Or we actually get a decent Navy that can patrol and perform interdiction duties across our large coastline.

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SIR SIG

More then meets the eye,
His a MapMaker in disguise.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Paul:
The captain of the Tampa was on his way to fulfil his duty by taking them to Indonesia, as maritime law requires, when a large number of the "asylum-seekers" threatened him and his crew with violence if they were not taken to Australian territory.
[/B]

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If this is true...if they kidnapped the crew with the threat of violence and forced the ship to go where it didn't want to go with the threat of violence, aka piracy, why on earth wouldn't the army be used to contain them? Does Christmas Island have enough of a police presence to handle the situation?

Just as others on here would like to think that the majority of these refugees are bonafied asylum seekers risking death in their home country, I'm more predisposed to think that the majority of these refugees are seeking entry into Austrailia for the chance for a better quality of life. (A noble goal and one I cannot disupte) But forcing the hand of the Austrailian government is the wrong way to do it.

*sigh*
It's not what happened at all.

As I very clearly pointed out in my original explanation - the asylum-seekers threatened their own lives.

I heard the radio interview with the CEO of the Norwegian shipping company, Paul. He stated categorically that at no time were the Captain or his crew under threat. Considering he has been in almost constant communication with the captain, I'd say he has a fairly good idea whether this is true.

He (the captain) was concerned with the threats from a half-a-dozen or so refugees that they would jump overboard if he took them back to Indonesia, which is why he agreed to bring them to Christmas Island.

I'm tending to agree with Sir Sig on this; that people are no doubt getting sick of hearing about it.

There is no way, however, I can let something like a claim that they threatened violence upon the Tampa captain stand unchallenged.

Nobody...nobody who was involved has at any stage claimed this was the case. Not the Tampa captain, not the Norwegian shipping company CEO, not the Norwegian ambassador, not John Howard, not Philip Ruddock, not the SAS.

Nobody.

It's this sort of disiformation which is causing a lot of the anger and hatred down here, most of it directed at the asylum-seekers. When I hear the gossip and propaganda being peddled, I can understand why.

That's why information is still the best weapon against hatred, IMO.

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"Every atom in our bodies was forged in the furnace of ancient stars - it is our destiny to return home..."

In reply to SIRSIG:

I sort of agree with much of what you said... but by declaring his vessel in distress the CO can do almost anything he thinks will perserve life, including entering territorial waters after being ordered to stay out.

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"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
Shania Twain

This sort of stuff just makes me wish some galactic DOT crew demolishes our planet for a hyperspace bypass...

Quote:

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Originally posted by Antonsb214:
This sort of stuff just makes me wish some galactic DOT crew demolishes our planet for a hyperspace bypass...

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Don't worry...I'm sure the other species are just as rotten.