The change of the guard of prime ministership has had a harsh consequence for those who try to reach Australian shores seeking asylum, whether they have a legitimate cause to do so or not.
Tony Abbott is pleased with the result of his hard line measures to completely cut off boat migrants from its northern shores.
Since the policies have been put into place, the flow of migrants through the Sunda Strait has all but been shut off.
Abbott has cloaked himself of the excuse that stopping the flow of boats has halted the unsavory practices of people smuggling. But the policy, called "stop the boats", is being enforced through all possible means, including the deployment of armed forces to turn away the vessels.
Anyone who does manage to slip by the intensive patrol, is swiftly shipped off to Papua New Guinea, under a new accord signed only a few months ago between Abbott and PNG's government.
However, Abbott is keeping secret any details on the boats that are sent back or intercepted by the army or navy, something that could be in violation of international human rights laws.
Abbott made an effort to point out that under the previous government, the number of refugees had escalated to 50,000 a year. One has to wonder however, how a continent the size of Australia can truly claim that such numbers would have a devastating effect.
Of course, stopping people by disincentivizing the crossing efforts through immediate relocation or by interception, has cut the flow considerably. And that, is another fact that Abbott is using to pat himself in the back: among the many rickety boats, some flounder into the sea, killing everyone on board. So persuading people to stop coming is a way to stop those deaths. But is this the true motivation for such action?
What seems to be at stake here, is a greater security concern, that is being kept concealed by the current administration.
What truly worries Abbott and the Australian authorities at large, is that the influx of people seeking refuge in Australia are from countries such as Iran. In fact, Abbott is seeking to sign a secret agreement with the Iranian authorities that would provide for repatriation of those Iranians that have sought asylum in Australia, even for those who have already reached the shore. Which could mean that some people who have been in detention or otherwise waiting to learn their fate, even after years, could be swiftly sent back to their own country.
But if, in fact, these refugees are persecuted in their homeland, sending them back through some secret agreement, could mean sending people back to a life of persecution or imprisonment.
Of course, Australia is supposed to only send back those Iranian refugees, or any refugee, who does not meet with the authorities' approval of their reasons for seeking asylum. But that does not prevent the Iranian government from persecuting those who are returned, if nothing else for having escaped its borders.
What Australia is trying to do, is to strike deals with individual governments from Malaysia and Indonesia and neighboring countries, the bridge countries so to speak, so that the word is out and the 'smugglers' stop trying to cross the straits. What they want, is for people to seek asylum or papers through legal channels via a strict and prohibitive visa program, which is completely unavailable to many of those who are earnest in their quest for asylum.
Op-Ed
Partial Source : France 24/ 10.31.13
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