Daily Times

Sir: This is with reference to Farish Noor’s column titled “Where is Australia?” (Daily Times, October 30) It is important to highlight the dynamics of the current Sri Lankan refugee crisis.

The process of intercepting and holding asylum-seekers is a joint mechanism between the governments of Indonesia and Australia, whereby Indonesia provides the manpower and Australia foots the bill. It is an express two-way relationship and not the case of a rich country imposing its will on the poorer one.
Secondly, the said asylum-seekers were rescued by an Australian vessel in Indonesian waters, at the request of the Indonesian authorities. They are currently docked at an Indonesian port. This squarely makes Indonesia responsible for the processing of these asylum-seekers, determining their authenticity and implementing a course of action. Despite this, Australia provides vital assistance in facilitating their task. As per the 1951 Refugee Convention, asylum-seekers have no right to choose which country processes their case. Yet, they are refusing to disembark their vessel in Indonesia and are using children as their spokespersons before television crews to blackmail Australian sentiments.
Lastly, the practice of accepting any asylum-seeker who heads this way sets the wrong precedent. It will only encourage groups or individuals involved in people-smuggling and illegal trafficking. We all know how poor families are exploited in this manner.
Every country has the right to decide who enters its borders, including Australia, which has an extensive migration programme in place. Unfortunately, Pakistanis also know the severe impact of opening up floodgates to external refugees all too well. The Australian government’s refusal to accommodate the asylum-seekers is justified on moral and legal grounds.
AHSAN TEHSIN
Australia