Refugee policy blamed for wreck

REFUGEE groups have pointed to yesterday's boat wreck off Christmas Island as evidence of the danger faced by desperate asylum-seekers.

by Pia Akerman

And some are laying the blame for the deaths squarely at the feet of the Gillard government.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the government's "anti-refugee" policy was responsible for the tragedy, in which dozens of people died in treacherous surf.

"If the Australian government was willing to properly process asylum-seekers in Indonesia and resettle successful refugees in Australia, then far fewer people would get on boats to travel to Australia," Mr Rintoul said.

"Unless the government changes its policies and adopts a welcome refugee policy, there will be more tragedies.

"The government also needs to drop its people-smuggling laws so that boats travelling to Australia would be able and willing to notify Australian authorities of their travels and arrange to rendezvous safely."

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said the wreck was a reminder of the "desperate measures" asylum-seekers would resort to when seeking safe haven.

"It also reinforces the need for the international community to redouble its efforts to co-operate more closely to find humanitarian protection options for people in need of such protection, and to prevent the need for vulnerable individuals to undertake these perilous journeys by boat," regional representative Richard Towle said.

Refugee Council of Australia president Paul Power said the accident emphasised the "absolute urgency" of building regional co-operation on asylum-seekers. He said many made the dangerous journey to Christmas Island because Asian countries offered them inadequate protection.

"We cannot fool ourselves into believing that refugees can get effective protection in Asia and have no reason to try to move on to Australia," Mr Power said.

"If people are to believe that they do not have to put their lives at risk on boats to Australia, then the circumstances of asylum-seekers and recognised refugees in Southeast Asia and South Asia must change."

Amnesty International Australia campaign director Andrew Beswick also called for more work within the region to dissuade asylum-seekers from trying to reach Australia by water.

"In reality, the only way of preventing asylum-seekers from attempting such journeys is to provide them with viable alternatives," he said.

"This includes increasing the capacity and willingness of countries across the Asia-Pacific to protect refugees.

"The decision to get on a boat to seek asylum is never taken lightly, and it should be remembered that asylum-seekers who come to Australia are human beings asking for our help.".

Mr Power supported the view. "People are not coming to Australia in this manner as part of some lifestyle choice. Asylum-seekers continue to make this journey because they feel that they have few real options open to them," he said.

source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/refugee-policy-blamed-for-wreck/story-fn59niix-1225971755329