How do you turn boats around?

[donnashuggy]

Will abbott turn boats like this around?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-13/baby-boy-dies-after-boat-capsizes-near-christmas-island/481847...

[legarlu]

It's a pity Indonesia doesn't assist with these rescues as the boat was 105 nautical miles from Indonesia.  Indonesia just turns a blind eye but their corrupt officials have their hands out  for the money the people smugglers pay them.   There is no solution while the people smugglers and the Indonesian government control our boarders.

[catsnknots]

well if it had been turned around in Indonesian waters by the Indonesians then it would not have happened... 

We give the Indonesians boats, money and man power to help prevent this from happening.. 

If it were not for Rudd changing the policy in the first place this would not be happening... and we only hear of a small portion of the boats that go missing... many are not reported... he should be ashamed of himself for instigating this policy failure. 

[donnashuggy]

How do you turn a boat around? Sorry if I sound dumb 

[just_me_karen · Accepted solution]

That poor little baby boy and his family 😞 It's irksome to see people politicising this sad issue and blame individual politicians. I guess that's a sign of their inability to empathise or maybe their limited world view.

I can't think of any way a boat could be turned around, donna... I doubt there would ever be a situation where "it is safe to do so".

[poddster]

You may as well crucify me now.

So before you start lat me just say this.

I am in no way shape or form in favour of the loss of life.

However The people who knowingly take the risk of a hazardous journey in unseaworthy vessels putting their life and more importantly their familie's lives at risk lose their status of victim and gain a status of stupidity trying to enter a country in an unlawful manner.

There are legal safe channels to seek asylum.

By circumventing the legal channels they are denying the chance of others who use the legal method if a faster placement. The also are are a burden on Australia's finances which could be used in other areas, such as improving the living standards of our homeless people for instance.

In a lot of cases the boats are sabotaged by the occupants in the hopes of getting rescued, and thinking about it the smugglers would prefer that the boats never made in anyway.

In my opinion if all unlawful entrants were flown back to their port of departure the problem would be solved.

In fact a simple rule would do it

No proof of identity .............no entry

[just_me_karen]

😄 thank you Donna 😄

Another point I'd like to make is how appalling it is to see refugees who are already here, complaining about refugees yet to come. They're the worst of the worst, IMO, and it shows a cold, hard soul that they have no empathy for these people.

[sorebuttonfinger]

Poddster that is the most sensible solution I have read to date.

[donnashuggy]

I think it is because they want their own families prioritized, natural selfishness.

I do agree with poddy to an extent that those who throw away their papers should be sent back but how do you send them back without papers and to where?

Without documents these people really cannot go anywhere.

The trouble lays with Indonesia allowing visas to people who potentially end up on boats throwing away their papers.

[poddster]

No new rules or laws would need to be enacted, they already exist.

It does however require some intestinal fortitude to police those rules and enforce those laws.

The situation that is in force now is as stupid as having rescue teams along an busy highway 2 kilometers apart just in case someone wants to take the risk of crawling to the other side.