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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/09/asylum-seeker-turnback-indonesia-conflicted-on-abbotts-hardline-policy
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| Asylum-seeker turnback: Indonesia conflicted on Abbott's hardline policy | Asylum-seeker turnback: Indonesia conflicted on Abbott's hardline policy |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Indonesian officials have sent conflicting signals over their willingness to co-operate with Canberra’s hardline policies on asylum seekers, with the country’s military chief alluding to an agreement with his Australian defence counterpart. | Indonesian officials have sent conflicting signals over their willingness to co-operate with Canberra’s hardline policies on asylum seekers, with the country’s military chief alluding to an agreement with his Australian defence counterpart. |
| The mixed messages came as Australia’s prime minister, Tony Abbott, said Canberra’s relationship with Jakarta was important but his determination to stop the boats was “non-negotiable”. Abbott also used a radio interview to defend his government’s reluctance to confirm details of the policies being implemented, saying he did not want to trigger “unnecessary fights”. | The mixed messages came as Australia’s prime minister, Tony Abbott, said Canberra’s relationship with Jakarta was important but his determination to stop the boats was “non-negotiable”. Abbott also used a radio interview to defend his government’s reluctance to confirm details of the policies being implemented, saying he did not want to trigger “unnecessary fights”. |
| The commander of the Indonesian Military, General Moeldoko, voiced his support for the Abbott government’s “justifiable” decision to turn an asylum-seeker boat back to Indonesia and said the country need not feel offended, the Jakarta Post reported. | The commander of the Indonesian Military, General Moeldoko, voiced his support for the Abbott government’s “justifiable” decision to turn an asylum-seeker boat back to Indonesia and said the country need not feel offended, the Jakarta Post reported. |
| “Following [our] halted military cooperation with Australia, the country’s defence force chief called me to discuss several issues, including how to deal with the boat people. He told me that Indonesia should understand if Australia drove back undocumented migrants attempting to enter the country using Indonesian boats or if any Indonesians were found aboard,” Moeldoko was reported as saying. “I have agreed. Therefore, we don’t need to feel offended.” | “Following [our] halted military cooperation with Australia, the country’s defence force chief called me to discuss several issues, including how to deal with the boat people. He told me that Indonesia should understand if Australia drove back undocumented migrants attempting to enter the country using Indonesian boats or if any Indonesians were found aboard,” Moeldoko was reported as saying. “I have agreed. Therefore, we don’t need to feel offended.” |
| But the newspaper said the Office of the Co-ordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, which oversees the boats issue, denied it was aware of any such agreement. Earlier this week, the Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, reaffirmed his country’s opposition to the policy of “pushing back the boats” which he said was “not a solution”. | |
| The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the government must answer legitimate, basic questions about the situation, arguing Abbott was treating the Australian people and media with a lack of respect. | |
| "It isn't right that Australians need to buy the Jakarta Post to find out what the Australian government is doing," Shorten said in Melbourne. | |
| Shorten said the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, needed to front the media to explain the government's actions on asylum seeker boats. | |
| "When he was in opposition, you couldn't open the door without tripping over him doing a media interview. Now he's in witness protection. They've cancelled the Friday briefings. I don't think it's fair for the men and women of our defence forces, who I believe are doing a professional job, that no one in Australia knows what is going on," Shorten said. | |
| In an interview on 2GB on Thursday, Abbott said Australia’s relationship with Indonesia was “very strong” and few countries had such strong and underlying links at an official level. He pointed to the reported discussion the Australian Defence Force chief, General David Hurley, had with his Indonesian counterpart. | In an interview on 2GB on Thursday, Abbott said Australia’s relationship with Indonesia was “very strong” and few countries had such strong and underlying links at an official level. He pointed to the reported discussion the Australian Defence Force chief, General David Hurley, had with his Indonesian counterpart. |
| “There are enormous levels of exchange and understanding between Australia and Indonesia, as evidenced by the discussion that seems to have taken place between General Moeldoko and our General Hurley not long ago,” Abbott said. | “There are enormous levels of exchange and understanding between Australia and Indonesia, as evidenced by the discussion that seems to have taken place between General Moeldoko and our General Hurley not long ago,” Abbott said. |
| “There's a lot of co-operation and mutual understanding here, but the important thing for us is that we do stop the boats … this is a non-negotiable for us. This is for us a matter of our sovereignty. | “There's a lot of co-operation and mutual understanding here, but the important thing for us is that we do stop the boats … this is a non-negotiable for us. This is for us a matter of our sovereignty. |
| “Now I absolutely understand Indonesia's concern for its sovereignty and I fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty. There is no way on God's earth that any Australian government, particularly a government that I lead, would in any way trespass on Indonesia's sovereignty, but when these boats keep coming illegally to our country that is a sovereignty issue for us. It is absolutely non-negotiable. | “Now I absolutely understand Indonesia's concern for its sovereignty and I fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty. There is no way on God's earth that any Australian government, particularly a government that I lead, would in any way trespass on Indonesia's sovereignty, but when these boats keep coming illegally to our country that is a sovereignty issue for us. It is absolutely non-negotiable. |
| “These boats will stop. These boats must stop. And we will do whatever is necessary, consistent with our international obligations and ordinary decency, to stop the boats and that's exactly what we are doing." | “These boats will stop. These boats must stop. And we will do whatever is necessary, consistent with our international obligations and ordinary decency, to stop the boats and that's exactly what we are doing." |
| Abbott dismissed suggestions he should publicise boat turnarounds to increase the deterrent effect, saying "obviously some things have changed" but he wanted to avoid "micro-detailed discussion about every last particular measure given that having that discussion just causes unnecessary fights". | Abbott dismissed suggestions he should publicise boat turnarounds to increase the deterrent effect, saying "obviously some things have changed" but he wanted to avoid "micro-detailed discussion about every last particular measure given that having that discussion just causes unnecessary fights". |
| The comments follow reports of Australia sending two boats back towards Indonesia – a policy that was a key plank of Abbott’s asylum-seeker policies but one that has previously raised controversy. | The comments follow reports of Australia sending two boats back towards Indonesia – a policy that was a key plank of Abbott’s asylum-seeker policies but one that has previously raised controversy. |
| The ABC said it had spoken to two asylum seekers from different boats who told of Australian personnel tying ropes to their boats, towing the vessels back towards Indonesia, and misleading them. One told the ABC they were told they were being taken to Christmas Island. Claims have also emerged of asylum seekers being mishandled. | The ABC said it had spoken to two asylum seekers from different boats who told of Australian personnel tying ropes to their boats, towing the vessels back towards Indonesia, and misleading them. One told the ABC they were told they were being taken to Christmas Island. Claims have also emerged of asylum seekers being mishandled. |
| Morrison said personnel acted professionally and responsibly. | |
| The Greens' spokeswoman on immigration, Sarah Hanson-Young, said she was concerned about the reports of asylum seekers being treated harshly during tow-back operations, but it was not the fault of the navy or Customs. | The Greens' spokeswoman on immigration, Sarah Hanson-Young, said she was concerned about the reports of asylum seekers being treated harshly during tow-back operations, but it was not the fault of the navy or Customs. |
| "Tony Abbott is breeding a toxic culture of hate and fear," she said. | "Tony Abbott is breeding a toxic culture of hate and fear," she said. |
| Hanson-Young said it was "astonishing" that Abbott thought it was acceptable for Australians to find out more about his government's plans from the Indonesian military than from the prime minister and his ministers directly. She questioned whether Abbott knew what was happening on the high seas given his reference to a conversation that "seemed to have taken place" between the two countries’ military chiefs. | Hanson-Young said it was "astonishing" that Abbott thought it was acceptable for Australians to find out more about his government's plans from the Indonesian military than from the prime minister and his ministers directly. She questioned whether Abbott knew what was happening on the high seas given his reference to a conversation that "seemed to have taken place" between the two countries’ military chiefs. |
| "He doesn't care about the lives of refugees on these boats, he doesn't care about the safety of the Australian men and women who are working on board these boats in very dangerous circumstances, and he simply doesn't care about letting Australian people and the public know what his plans and policies really are," Hanson-Young told reporters in Adelaide. | "He doesn't care about the lives of refugees on these boats, he doesn't care about the safety of the Australian men and women who are working on board these boats in very dangerous circumstances, and he simply doesn't care about letting Australian people and the public know what his plans and policies really are," Hanson-Young told reporters in Adelaide. |
| The acting Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, added that he was worried "a whole generation of our defence personnel" could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from having to implement the government's cruel asylum policies. | |
| "We are plumbing new depths when it comes to some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people," he said. "What's next? Are we going to start sinking boats when they arrive? | |
| "It's hard to imagine we could get any crueller than taking people in the dead of night, turning their boats around, dropping them off at some godforsaken place, somewhere off the coast of Indonesia."The Jakarta Post quoted the national police chief, General Sutarman, as saying: “If boat people have entered the country’s territory, they must be arrested for violating the country’s territorial integrity, and not be pushed back to us.” | |
| The newspaper also quoted a Golkar party politician, Tantowi Yahya, as criticising the military chief for welcoming Australia’s move. “The boat-people issue is not our business because they are not Indonesians and also because they illegally attempted to enter Australia. Where is the involvement of Indonesia [in the matter]? Australia should not arbitrarily act the way it did especially following the suspended co-operation between the countries,” he said. | The newspaper also quoted a Golkar party politician, Tantowi Yahya, as criticising the military chief for welcoming Australia’s move. “The boat-people issue is not our business because they are not Indonesians and also because they illegally attempted to enter Australia. Where is the involvement of Indonesia [in the matter]? Australia should not arbitrarily act the way it did especially following the suspended co-operation between the countries,” he said. |
| On Wednesday, the Australian government refused to confirm the purchase of large, hard-hulled lifeboats, to which asylum seekers in unseaworthy vessels could be transferred and directed back towards Indonesia. It prompted fresh accusations from Labor and the Greens that the government was hiding from accountability needed in a democracy. The Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Australia was not North Korea and citizens deserved to know what was being done in their name. | On Wednesday, the Australian government refused to confirm the purchase of large, hard-hulled lifeboats, to which asylum seekers in unseaworthy vessels could be transferred and directed back towards Indonesia. It prompted fresh accusations from Labor and the Greens that the government was hiding from accountability needed in a democracy. The Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Australia was not North Korea and citizens deserved to know what was being done in their name. |
| Abbott indicated on Thursday he was comfortable with being criticised for secrecy on asylum-seeker issues. | Abbott indicated on Thursday he was comfortable with being criticised for secrecy on asylum-seeker issues. |
| "We don't want to give rise to a whole lot of mischief making, and I'd rather be criticised for being a bit of a closed book on this issue and actually stop the boats, and that's the point; the point is not to provide sport for public discussion; the point is to stop the boats and I'm pleased to say that it's now several weeks since we've had a boat and the less we talk about operational details on the water the better when it comes to stopping the boats,” he said. | "We don't want to give rise to a whole lot of mischief making, and I'd rather be criticised for being a bit of a closed book on this issue and actually stop the boats, and that's the point; the point is not to provide sport for public discussion; the point is to stop the boats and I'm pleased to say that it's now several weeks since we've had a boat and the less we talk about operational details on the water the better when it comes to stopping the boats,” he said. |
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