Death on the rocks for boat people
Residents of Christmas Island watched on helplessly as the 16m wooden fishing vessel drifted closer to the jagged limestone cliffs, as it was pummelled by huge swells. Witnesses reporting seeing children as young as three being tossed into the raging ocean.
One man said he rushed to the cliffs after hearing the screams, along with his 20-year-old son and as many life jackets as they could muster. They tied life jackets to ropes and threw the ropes to the terrified asylum-seekers.
It was horrendous we were pulling the ropes up and then it would go limp. Unbelievable horror, he said. The Australian
via Daily Telegraph
Simon Prince, who lives nearby, told Associated Press: When the boat hit the cliff there was a sickening crack. All the people on board rushed to the land side, which is the worst thing they could do, but I dont think anybody could swim. I think there were about two lifeboats on board this thing.
It was just horrible: people getting crushed, bodies, dead children. The whole thing was pretty awful. The Guardian
Death on the rocks at Christmas Island, posted with vodpod
Aussies take a tough stand on refugees
The arrival of asylum seekers by boat in Australia has been one of the most divisive political issues of the last decade, despite the fact that they represent less than 2% of annual immigration.
Both political sides have talked tough on refugees in an attempt to win over voters in marginal constituencies. The opposition conservative party went to the August election with the slogan stop the boats. The Labor prime minister, Julia Gillard, proposed a regional refugee processing centre in East Timor, which was widely derided as policy on the run.
Five and a half thousand people are being held in immigration ! detentio n in Australia. Ninety-five per cent of them have arrived by boat, according to the department of immigration. All those suspected of illegally entering on boats are detained and transferred to Christmas Island for processing and some are then transferred to onshore detention facilities. Nearly 130 boats carrying asylum seekers have landed in Australia this year a sharp increase. The Guardian
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