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A plethora of experts, but few with knowledge

By Bruce Haigh - posted Monday, 15 April 2013


 Their appeal on this and other issues is to a nationalism and jingoism which resides within and amongst several narrow groups of Australians. This is an increasingly limited base on which to build a political future, it is not inclusive, it is short term and not likely to deliver long term political appeal, unless their government resorts to coercion, in all its many forms, to hold onto power. Heaven forbid.

Perhaps if refugee policy was formulated with the achievable aim of managing the boats a ‘solution’ might be possible. Managing boat arrivals requires a regional dialogue, with processing in Indonesia. If the rhetoric from Australian politicians about keeping asylum seekers off boats has any credibility, which I doubt, then processing on Indonesia would go a long way toward meeting the demands of the rhetoric.

Australia can use its position on the UN Security Council to add weight to a regional dialogue, or were it so inclined, to implement revised arrangements for the processing of all refugees in the region under an appropriate arrangement or MOU.

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Australia might use its position on the Security Council to press for the processing of Tamil asylum seekers on Sri Lanka under UN supervision. They might also seek the intervention of a small UN peace keeping force to protect Tamils, particularly in the north of the country, from persecution amounting to genocide. Several weeks ago a million students in the state of Tamil Nadu went on strike to protest these ongoing abuses by the Sri Lankan government and the government of that state has recently banned Sri Lankan players.

And as a postscript, the Sri Lankan asylum seekers who arrived in Geraldton Harbour on 9 April are perfectly entitled to do so. They have done nothing wrong. Their arrival and subsequent claims are covered by the UN Convention on Refugees to which Australia is a signatory and from which it has not withdrawn. The essential parts of the Convention have been incorporated in Australian law. Excising Australian islands or parts of the mainland do not exterminate the rights of asylum seekers under the Convention or Australian law. The Australian government has chosen to act in defiance of the Convention and its own laws. What a sorry state of affairs.  Abbott continues to confuse immigrants and asylum seekers, whilst having us believe he is sufficiently sophisticated to run the country.

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About the Author

Bruce Haigh is a political commentator and retired diplomat who served in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 1972-73 and 1986-88, and in South Africa from 1976-1979

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