Seized Boat in Indonesia Shows Desperation of Asylum Seekers

Press Release - For immediate release: 11pm 11 July, 2011

Seized Boat in Indonesia Shows Desperation of Asylum Seekers

The 85 Sri Lankan asylum seekers apprehended and presently detained in their boat by the Indonesian Navy off the coast off Bintan Island and now anchored off Tanjung Pinang show the extreme desperation such people to seek a place of safety.

"It's probably fortunate that the group of boat people didn't get any farther than they did toward the Tasman Sea. The stormy Tasman, particularly in Winter, forms a most formidable natural barrier and it's more likely they could have come to disaster, as did the boat which sank off Christmas Island last December," said RCNZ spokesperson, Gary E. Poole.

"What this does clearly illustrate, however, is the level of extreme desperation experienced by the Tamil people who are prepared to risk everything to find a home in a safe country. Migrants who are seeking merely economic betterment would never take such extreme risks with the lives of their families."

RCNZ agrees with the view of the Prime Minister John Key, that it is probably inevitable that a boat containing extremely desperate asylum seekers will eventually try to make its way into New Zealand waters. " Although the Tasman Sea makes it very difficult, it's at least possible that a steel-hulled boat could possibly come the great distance to New Zealand, as one made landfall in Vancouver last year."

"The Refugee Council of New Zealand has been involved to quite an extent in following the very divisive debate over boat arrivals in Australia. Unfortunately, there is frankly quite a lot to learn from Australia in how not to address the issue," he said. First of all, the matter should most definitely not be allowed to become a political football. There should be a sensible, balanced, bi-partisan, multi-party approach to policy, debated and agreed well beforehand."

"Secondly, New Zealand has a justifiable international reputation for humanitarian help for those most in need, and a national sense of fairness, equity and compassion. That was so clearly shown in the kindness and warm welcome given to the 131 women, children and men who were rescued off the Tampa in 2001. That was a good news story which echoed around the world and make every Kiwi feel proud. Those refugees who came from the Tampa went on to become wonderful citizens."

"There is much to learn from the Australian experience of dealing with boat people. Successive governments there have made some serious mistakes which really resulted from the issue unfortunately becoming politicised, polarised and divisive early on. There are far more humane and productive ways of addressing the issues which have been shown by a number of countries. RCNZ will be releasing a policy paper on 15 July, 2011 that will cite some of those concepts."

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