New asylum seeker controversy strains Australia-Indonesia relations
Reports that the Australian navy added three passengers to an asylum seeker boat turned back to Indonesia have threatened to further damage already strained relationships
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 07 May, 2014,
Speaking in the sidelines of an international leaders’ summit on the resort island of Bali, Natalegawa said he had been informed that the three passengers had been added to 18 asylum seekers aboard the returned boat.
Australian National University expert on foreign relations, William Maley, said Australia might have broken its own people-smuggling laws if the additional passengers had been added in Australian waters.
“There may be crucial distinction between, on the one hand, simply pushing back a boat which has appeared at the Australian maritime border, and on the other hand taking people who have been within Australian jurisdiction and placing them on a boat and sending them back,” Maley told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Because arguably the latter falls within the definition of people smuggling, and there it might well be that those at sea, and those who have been involved in organising or facilitating that activity – which could of course go right up to the top level of the government – have committed a criminal offence,” he said.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1506529/new-asylum-seeker-controversy-strains-australia-indone...
