World Refugee Day is dedicated each year to raising awareness about the more than 43.7 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world. The United Nations and non-government organisations usually share refugee stories and make pleas for compassion and empathy.
But in Australia, refugees and asylum seekers are treated like the enemy in a war: the target of a highly resourced, military-led 鈥渄eterrence鈥 strategy complete with arbitrary detainment, detention camps, guards to terrorise them, forced deportations and the violent suppression of those who protest.
boats
The Refugee Action Coalition released the statement below on August 30.
***
The Refugee Action Coalition has renewed its call for a full independent inquiry into Australia鈥檚 response to safety-of-life-at-sea (SOLAS) situations involving asylum boats.
The latest boat tragedy may have cost the lives of 140 or more people. This is the second time in three months in which the delayed responses of Australian authorities have cost lives. In June, 90 asylum seekers were drowned despite calls to Australian authorities over a period of 40 hours.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard鈥檚 鈥渆xpert panel鈥 on refugee policy will hand over its findings on how to 鈥渟top the boats鈥 and end the parliamentary 鈥渄eadlock鈥 over offshore processing when parliament begins sitting again next week.
After an asylum boat tragedy that killed 90 people in June, the three-member panel, headed by former defence chief Angus Houston, on the 鈥渂est way forward for Australia to prevent asylum seekers risking their lives鈥 considering 鈥淎ustralia鈥檚 right to maintain its borders鈥.
Another boat, believed to be carrying up to 180 asylum seekers, made a distress call to Australian authorities at about 4.30am (AEST) time this morning. The call said the boat was about 50 nautical miles south of Indonesia and heading to Christmas Island, and its engine had failed and that it was taking on water.
ABC Online said , but it had not been found.