Jackarta Willing to Talk about tow backs

[lightningdance]

In my opinion it's our business if we want to turn boats around. They are Indonesian boats, crewed by Indonesians, participating in people smuggling.

We have the right to protect our borders & nobody can tell us what to do re safeguarding our country.

Indonesia know this.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/jakarta-opens-door-to-talk-about-tow-ba...

[i-need-a-martini]

Twinkles  - I understand your outrage.

But I have faith that our navy would have acted appropriately as I don't believe that any personnel would willingly let any single person die like this. Or at least I hope so.

These boats are dangerously overcrowded decrepid when they leave Indonesia. By the times they travel so far with that many people, they are ready to fall apart. And many of these people don't now how to swim so if they go over I imagine there is no chance of reaching them.

[*mrgrizz*]

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

They board ships / boats in rough weather all the time....they are equiped to do so.

You expect them to own up to a mistake? Of course they wont. Imagine the outrage should it have been 4 Aussie sailors that lost their lives 😞

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all the time?

are equiped to do so? in which way?

have you been in a boat in high seas?

it is dangerous to even try to pull up next to another boat let alone try and board it.

[azureline**]

Really interesting info here.....worth a read 

Julie Bishop: Australia has the right to return asylum seeker boats to Indonesia

“We cannot escape from the fact that they are Indonesian boats with Indonesian crews from Indonesian ports. Of course, you can return them to Indonesia.” – Shadow foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, Q&A, 15 July.

fact checking mission.........

https://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-towing-back-the-boats-and-the-mining-tax-16025

Abbott and Bishop have made these comments in the context of proposals to “push back” asylum-seeker boats to the edge of Indonesian territorial waters. They had said this will take place whether or not Indonesia specifically agrees

But the above claim is problematic because it fails to appreciate the complexity of interdictions at sea and does not adequately reflect Australia’s obligations under international law.

The first legal principle is that vessels in international waters have freedom of navigation under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

No single country has jurisdiction over international waters; each vessel carries the jurisdiction and protection of the country in which it is registered. This means that if an Indonesian boat is travelling in international waters, it cannot be boarded or otherwise interfered with by the Australian Navy unless it has the consent of Indonesia, or it can show due cause under international law.

[azureline**]

woops, missed posting this bit.

Verdict

This statement does not adequately reflect Australia’s obligations under international law and is not correct. Interdiction of vessels by Australia will require Indonesian consent – so far not forthcoming – and it will not be possible to simply leave the vessels in the sea near Indonesian territorial waters in the expectation that they will be able, or willing, to re-enter Indonesian territory.

[twinkles**stars]

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

They board ships / boats in rough weather all the time....they are equiped to do so.

You expect them to own up to a mistake? Of course they wont. Imagine the outrage should it have been 4 Aussie sailors that lost their lives 😞

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all the time? Have you not seen this done?

are equiped to do so? in which way? Research and learning is always a good thing then you know first hand.....I doubt you would accept my answer

have you been in a boat in high seas? Yes 🙂

it is dangerous to even try to pull up next to another boat let alone try and board it.

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[twinkles**stars]

sg.news.yahoo.com/boat-distress-found-off-indonesia-australia-034254978

Australian authorities Wednesday boarded a boat packed with asylum seekers off Indonesia and began transferring the 164 on board to a navy ship after the vessel ran into trouble in rough seas.

Australia's Customs and Border Protection agency said two military ships, the HMAS Wollongong and HMAS Leeuwin reached the rickety vessel as night fell in waters south of Java after the boat had issued a distress call.

"A boarding party from HMAS Wollongong has boarded the vessel and initial reports are that 164 people are on board," the agency said in a statement.

"Due to concerns about the seaworthiness of the vessel attempts are being made to transfer the people from the vessel to HMAS Leeuwin," it added.

"Continuing rough sea conditions will mean the transfer may take several hours."

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare earlier told reporters that the boat, which issued an alarm just before dawn Wednesday, "appears to be upright and in a stable condition but the weather conditions were very rough".

Someone on board had used a satellite phone to make a distress call to the Australian authorities saying the boat was taking on water as it was pounded by three-metre (10-foot) waves.

The latest in a series of asylum boats incidents north of Australia's remote Christmas Island territory, it came one day after Jakarta and Canberra agreed to boost cooperation on such rescues following a recent spate of deaths.

Some 94 people are estimated to have drowned after two boats went down on the perilous sea route in recent weeks. One vessel capsized midway through its journey in an incident thought to have claimed 90 lives.

Customs said it was "anticipated that HMAS Leeuwin will transfer the people to Christmas Island" -- Australia's main processing centre for refugees -- once they have been removed from the stricken boat.

The boat is within Indonesia's maritime search and rescue zone and Clare said Australian rescuers were working with their Indonesian counterparts Bon the operation.

The emergency came one day after Prime Minister Julia Gillard hosted talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, agreeing to enhance cooperation on people-smuggling, particularly in search and rescue missions.

Clare said Australian and Indonesian police were also working closely to stop refugees paying people-smugglers to bring them to Australia -- with one man arrested in Indonesia on Friday suspected of being a key member of the syndicate behind the boat on which 90 people died.

Australian police are interviewing another suspect on Christmas Island, where all boat arrivals are initially taken while their claims are assessed.

More than 5,200 asylum-seekers have come to Australia so far this year on boats, many of which are fragile, wooden vessels from transit hubs in Indonesia.

Canberra's bid to deter people smugglers from making the dangerous voyage to Australia by sending asylum-seekers to Malaysia for processing has so far failed to be passed by parliament, despite the recent fatalities.