Australia’s maritime border control a ‘lawless venture’

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton rejected Amnesty’s report – which follows previous accusations Australian authorities had paid off people-smugglers – as a “slur” and said the country complied with domestic and worldwide law.

As viewed from the deck of an asylum seekers’ boat in May 2015, according to Amnesty global.

“We’re not going to be bullied into a few watering down of that”.

“All of the available evidence points to Australian officials having committed a transnational crime by, in effect, directing a people-smuggling operation”, said Anna Shea, refugee researcher at Amnesty worldwide, in a statement.

“To suggest otherwise, as Amnesty has done, is to cast a slur on the men and women of the ABF and ADF”.

The boat’s captain in June told Indonesian police in the presence of newsmen that he and his crew were paid to take the passengers back to Indonesia and never smuggle people again.

Amnesty International’s investigation is based on interviews with the 62 adults seeking asylum, the six crew members and Indonesian officials.

The report alleges Australian officials paid $45,000 to six crew to return a boat of asylum seekers to Indonesia and that money was also paid money to the crew of a boat turned back in July.

Indonesian police confirmed they found the cash in crisp $100 bills on the crew when they arrested them, Amnesty said.

Thousands of asylum seekers have flown from Africa, Middle East, Central and South Asia to Indonesia to board rickety fishing boats for the voyage to Australia.

“In the two incidents documented by Amnesty worldwide, Border Force and Navy officials also put the lives of dozens of people at risk by forcing them onto poorly equipped vessels”.

“The Australian experience proves that the only way to dissuade people seeking to come from afar is not to let them in”, he said in London during the second Margaret Thatcher Lecture in his first speech after being forced out by his own party. The claims made by Amnesty global also accuse Canberra of essentially colluding with a people-smuggling operation.

Australia’s government is under pressure over allegations people-smugglers were paid to turn their New Zealand-bound boats back to Indonesia.

Mr Shearer says given one of the boats was heading for New Zealand, the Prime Minister should now rule out any knowledge of the incident.

The boat was headed to New Zealand and whether or not it was stopped in global or Australian waters has been fiercely contested, as well whether it was intercepted in distress.

In the unlikely event that Indonesia would seek to take a case against Australia for people smuggling, Australia would nearly certainly refuse to submit itself to the court’s judgment.

Did the Australian government pay people smugglers to return to Indonesia? “And instead of continuing with turnbacks Australia must engage in effective dialogue to improve regional protections for vulnerable populations in the Asia-Pacific region, and expand safe and legal routes for people to reach safety”, Shea mentioned. Other officials denied the payments took place.

The two boats – “Jasmine”, left, and “Kanak” – after being towed to Rote Island by Indonesian officials.

Amnesty’s interest in Australia’s conduct lies in the doctrine of state responsibility, whereby acts of state officials can be attributed to the state itself as worldwide wrongs.