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he sorry saga of numerous Sri Lankan people being duped into making the treacherous life threatening journey by sea to Australia appears to be on the rise once again. The many who think that they could find the end of the rainbow and their eventual pot of gold at the completion of this journey, merely continue to live in hope and believe in a myth. No “boat people” seeking refugee could enter Australia’s mainland shores illegally by sea anymore.
The strict border controls enforced by the Customs and Border Control authorities through “Operation Sovereign Borders” ensures that “boat people” would be sent back to where they last came from or as an alternative they will be housed in a detention centre on one of the Pacific Islands namely Christmas, Manus or perhaps even sent to Papua New Guinea’s Nauru Island. This is until their documents are processed with no guarantee of securing their ultimate dream.
This menacing problem that costs the Australian government over Aus $ 1 billion annually, has engulfed the largest island nation which first saw 5 Indochinese men entering Australia illegally through the shores of Darwin way back in April 1976. That opened the flood gates for over 2000 Vietnamese to flee their war torn country over the next five years and also unlawfully enter Australia. The second and third influx of boats arrived in two series, one in 1989 and ten years later in 1999 when mainly Arabic descendants braved the seas and came in large numbers, in what was then considered the start of organised rackets run by crafty and ruthless human smugglers which continue to date.
Thereafter Australia has seen the mounting number of Sri Lankans predominantly Tamil refugees making every effort to enter the shoreline of Australia where the processing of documents is a bit more lenient compared to when caught at sea or perhaps even when detained on a designated pacific island close to Australia.
Over here in Sri Lanka it has become common knowledge that more and more people are getting caught early on in their strides, prior to even making the journey. In the recent past two groups intending to travel were caught down south by undercover cops who seem to be well informed of these illegal journeys. These two latest catches is ample testimony that human smugglers and their agents are now being monitored even more closely here in Sri Lanka than before, leaving organised human smugglers trying to figure out what seems to be thwarting their lucrative business.
But the question asked then is why do people still take this chance and attempt to make this treacherous journey by sea? The answer may lie with the fraudulent human smuggler or his cohort the agent blatantly lying that it is a simple plain passage to Australia. Little do they know that the journey by itself is not sea worthy due to the unsafe boats used, lack of sea survival equipment like life vests, no proper navigation aid and the unpredictable weather that has seen many in the past dying at sea trying to make this journey. The agents who drain these people of their monies give no assurance that any refund would be made possible if the journey is unsuccessful.
It may be important to also know that the “boat people” who make this trip fall under a category either as “Refugees”, “Asylum Seekers” or “Internally Displaced People” who mainly flee homes due to a pertaining national issue that ideally requires the need to be addressed by the countries that these people run away from.
A closer look at this Sri Lankan traffic, heading by boat to Australia, and you will find that a colossal percentage and profiles of voyagers are of Sri Lankan Tamil origin that were caught in no man’s land during the two and a half decades of civil war. Many who were distraught and torn during the troubles of conflict are the majority of those that make the trip. Several video clips found on “you tube” will highlight that when these people are caught complain that they are in fear of their lives and scared to go back as the government and armed forces will torture or even kill them for being sympathetic or supportive to the cause of the now defunct “Tamil Tiger” guerilla outfit.
Refugees seeking entry into Australia do so by air as well and these are the ones who are privileged to obtain a visa for travel and who eventually overstay claiming asylum. However, in the case of most Sri Lankan Tamils making this journey by boat, many may not have the option of obtaining a legitimate visa for air travel. Time may also be of essence when at times one is persecuted and needs to flee in the quickest possible manner.
The next best option is for the “boat people” to fly into Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia and then hop on a make shift boat from there. Many are promised comfortable passage on a ship only to find out that they forced to cramp up for days on end with many others like cattle being transported for slaughter. Even though many have chosen this option they have eventually found themselves being towed back to the country they set out from by the Australian Customs and Border Control authorities who are armed with sophisticated equipment to monitor boat movements, arrivals and who also work in tandem with their Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) who infiltrate and obtain crucial information regarding these operations.
The “Pacific Solution” is the name given to the Australian government policy of transporting and escorting asylum seekers to detention centres on island nations in the Pacific Ocean, rather than allowing them to land on the Australian shores. This was implemented during John Howard’s tenure as Prime Minister in 2001. It had the bipartisan support from the Liberal-National government and Labor opposition during that period. This was also reinforced in 2012 under Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s term in office. The “Pacific Solution” consisted of three central strategies to hinder and control this menaceusing the islands through Australia’s migration zone or Australian territory. One of these strategies is known “Operation Relex” which was then formed to intercept asylum seekers by the Australian Defence Force.
According to the Australian Parliamentary Budget Office, it costs approximately Aus $225,000 to detain a person on Manus Island or Nauru. It will therefore be of continued paramount importance that Australia will ensure that they will make every endeavor to prevent their treasury being milked due to this national crisis.
From a national point of view here in Sri Lanka it may be a herculean task, but best advisable to ensure that effective educational programmes are organised throughout the island by NGO’s or even using the electronic and print media. This could help to educate and prevent our Sri Lankan people from, firstly being duped of their money, secondly endangering their lives due to the risk of dying at sea and eventually being sent back to face jail time for the sheer accountability of being ignorant, naïve and gullible.