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AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER Tony Abbott, whose government introduced tough measures to stop asylum seeker boats, has said the European Union should follow suit – describing it as the only way to end deaths at sea.
His comments came after a fishing vessel crammed with migrants capsized off Libya at the weekend with the loss of 800 lives, and as EU foreign and interior ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss ways to stem the flood of people trying to reach Europe.
Australia’s conservative government introduced a military-led operation after coming into power in September 2013 to turn back boats carrying asylum seekers before they reach the continent.
“We have got hundreds, maybe thousands of people drowning in the attempts to get from Africa to Europe,” Abbott told reporters.
The “only way you can stop the deaths is in fact to stop the boats”, he added.
While Abbott’s controversial policy has proved successful, with the nation going nearly 18 months with virtually no asylum seeker boat arrivals and no reported deaths at sea, human rights advocates say it violates Australia’s international obligations.
Before the policy was introduced, boats were arriving almost daily with hundreds of people drowning en route.
“We must resolve to stop this terrible problem and the only way you can stop the deaths is to stop the people-smuggling trade,” Abbott said.
“That’s why it is so urgent that the countries of Europe adopt very strong policies that will end the people-smuggling trade across the Mediterranean.”
Europe’s reaction ‘incompetent’
Under Canberra’s hard-line policy, navy ships intercept boats carrying asylum seekers and turn them back to where they transited from, mostly Indonesia, or send those on board to offshore processing camps in the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
Asylum-seekers who arrive by boat are blocked from resettling in Australia even if they are found to be genuine refugees. They are left with the option of either returning home or living in PNG, Nauru, or even impoverished Cambodia, under bilateral agreements.
The policy has been slammed by the United Nations and human rights advocates who say it violates the 1951 Refugee Convention of which Australia is a signatory.
The offshore processing of asylum seekers has also faced criticism over the camps’ conditions and the lengthy processing times.
One of the architects of Australia’s border policies, retired army major-general Jim Molan, said the crisis was due to Europe’s “incompetent policy reaction”.
Writing in The Australian newspaper Tuesday, he said the tragedies were “worsened by Europe’s refusal to learn from its own mistakes and from the efforts of others who have handled similar problems”.
He added:
Destroying the criminal people-smugglers was the centre of gravity of our border control policies, and judicious boat turnbacks was the key.
In contrast, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the unfolding disaster was a result of Europe turning its back on “some of the most vulnerable migrants in the world”, and risked “turning the Mediterranean into a vast cemetery”.
Italy had a search-and-rescue operation that saved some 170,000 people last year but it was suspended by Rome in protest over rising costs, replaced by a smaller and much more restricted EU-led mission.
Molan also blamed Europe and the United States for not sending troops to Libya, where most of the migrants fleeing to Europe over the past two weeks have come from, and the failure of the United Nations to push for peacekeeping forces.
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I agree with him
Abbot is right and the whole world knows it.
Taking advice from this Meathead on refugee rights would be the same as taking advice from Putin on gay rights.
@diarmuid
That’s a ridiculous statement to make.
Abbot is a first world leader dealing with a third world problem.
Putin is a third world dictator stuck in communism.
It certainly was incompetent of Britain & France bombing Libya, now look at the mess.
@Babara
What was the other option?
Stop meddling.
What was the other option? Not bombing Libya. Not destabilising a country leaving a power vacuum where extremists run rampant.
Prior to the illegal intervention in 2011 Libya topped the human development index in Africa, and had the highest life expectancy in Africa. That all disappeared when NATO unleashed terror upon them.
If you genuinely believe NATO invasions are done for humanitarian reasons you are as naive as people who believe governments are truthful.
The countries that brought terror to Libya do have a responsibility to help those in dire need of humanitarian assistance. And even if it were true that the West weren’t complicit in what’s occurring, it would still apply that we should provide help to these people for the simple reason that we are human beings.
People seem to forget that Libya was already in the midst of a civil war before the West got involved. It was already unstable and Gadaffi had lost his ability to keep a lid on the country.
Yet the liberal minority, including the media who live in a fantasy land think they dictate to the vast moderate majority.
Sorry, the word “meddling” is not appropriate anywhere in this whole conversation.
Jason is correct that Libya was involved in a civil war, and it’s also true that Gaddafi committed crimes, but this doesn’t negate the fact that the NATO intervention exacerbated the instability in the country, and what was touted as a humanitarian mission quickly became apparent it was anything but.
@Jason. On the eve of the intervention Gaddafi’s forces had driven the opposition back to Benghazi and were days from capturing the city.
Sorry Pedro. Am I allowed say ‘trying to dictate internal policy in sovereign states’ instead?
Puzzle time for everyone:
What is the result when you import Africa into Europe?
Prize this week is a fully furbished nuclear/invader proof home complete with anti house-invasion locking, double barrel shotgun in every room and 10 year ammo supply
Answers on a postcard addressed to the canteen in Donnybrook.
Jason you idiot the west started the civil war to topple its government
No… I don’t think you are to be blunt.
To “dictate” is to tyrannise or bully your way in life, business or politics.
He is clearly voicing his well earned and entitled opinion to his international counterparts. As he should, given his nations recent invasion.
You on the other hand seem to be commenting on a topic that you just feel strongly about.
Correct me if I’m wrong!
Obscene thought. But funny!
@Barbara
So you think that the UN should have let Gaddafi stay in power? Well, read this.
http://www.clarionproject.org/news/gaddafis-rape-chambers-revealed-bbc-documentary
Gadhafi only lost the ability to keep a lid on Libya, when UN imposed a no fly zone. Control the sky’s, control the country. NATO’s meddling meant gadhafi couldn’t use his airforce to repel the rebel advance, by hitting key rebel targets such as weapons cache’s and fuel depots. Also it prevented the bombing bridges to prevent or slow rebel advance in key sectors.
As well as NATO bombing gadhafi’s forces aiding the rebel advance. This mess is all on NATO. It’s why Putan took such a hard line on Syria. Because NATO went further than the no the fly zone which they promised Russia, who didn’t veto and supported in good faith at the UNSC and were betrayed on.
Well said Pedro. I think we all know that Diarmuid is the real meathead here.
Lol Putin is “stuck in communism”
Please go and read a book.
He’s right
Maybe it’s better we let Europe turn into Africa
He is spot on
Dead right
And when Africa is emptied , we move in .
Too late – there are already hundreds of thousands of Chinese there already, and they’ve big plans for expansion.
He is so right ..
when Africa is emptied we won’t exist
The chinese are raping africa for its mineral wealth to make more money from their manufacturing industries. Much as the european powers did 100 years ago.
Send the boat lot to China. They’re big on resettlement camps over there.
Tony Abbott is a Dead Man walking, he has a 74% disapproval rating…consistently in poll after the poll. The worst polling for a prime minister in Australian history. His government will be massacred in next years election.
If we listen to the bleeding hearts within a couple of decades Europe will no longer be Europe. Abbot and Australia have been right on how to deal with this all along.
How about we send the bleeding hearts on a boat over to them, see how they like it.
Doubt they’d be bothered glen. They would just (correctly) turn the boat away.
Isn’t every white person in Australia an immigrant?
Beano
What’s your point?
Tone the racism down there Beano.
My point is I won’t be taking advice on immigration from a country that has treated its native citizens so appallingly as Australia have.
@Beano
Have you lived in Australia?
What does that have to do with anything?
@beano
Well for one… it would determine if you knew what you you were talking about!
How you figure that? Do you have to have lived in the US to understand how the English/American people treated native Americans or black people?
We’re not talking about native Americans or blacks for that matter.
You highlighted the specific subject of how bad Australians have treated their native people.
You have no idea what you are talking about.
And if you lived there you would know that.
I never said that I never lived there
Nonsense Pedro, many Australians are completely appalled by Abbot’s inhumane treatment of refugees.
Maybe you should go and live there then.
@ monty
Really?
How do you know that?
Polling. His approval rating is also quite low.
Polling is just an indicator….
Let’s see what the referendum says! I think you’ll hear the real truth then.
I don’t believe people have respect for the “lifestyle”. However in-politically correct it sounds.
I lived there, for a long time.
I saw first hand.
It’s a different debate when it’s on your doorstep.
The majority claim one thing and profess another.
Easy to scapegoat immigrants when the economy is bad. Our actual enemies who have created misery continue to live lavish lifestyles, continue to rapaciously accumulate obscene wealth at the expense of the citizens. The real enemy is corporate power, but because people feel powerless to stop that they blame the perceived threat opposed to the real one which continues to grow.
@monty
Thats a very busy a comment.
Firstly.. When you say “immigrants”, who exactly are you talking about?
I thought we were talking about aborigines for a minute there.
Second…. Rapaciously?? Really?
Thirdly…. I have no idea what the last three sentences mean… And Ive read it three times!!
Apologies monty!!!
My bad
You are such a pain, Pedro
The kardashians are back off ad break there Michael!
I’ve lived in Australia and Beano you’re pretty much spot on. Abbott is a racist/sexist/homophobic caveman
His approval rating has nothing to do with how he’s treated asylum seekers
The only Australians appalled by Tony Abbotts approach to illegal boat people are the usual left wing minority. He has huge support for what he has done here as did John Howard. We were losing 1000′s of innocents to drowning Because of these disgusting traders in misery running ill equipped boats at vast profits from Indonesia and elsewhere. If they were true asylum seekers they would have stopped at the first safe haven they reached. Not fly into Malaysia and Indonesia, destroy their papers and pay massive sums to these criminals to pack them onto old fishing boats like sardines.
His strategy has saved lives, not cost them..
Abbott is a loser who’s in the dying days of his prime ministership
It’s better than doing nothing.
Yes Abbott stopped the boats and killed his prime ministership…he’s a figure of ridicule in Australia, no one is listening to him. Preaching to the world is all he’s left before his government suffers the worst loss in Australian history next year according to the polls.
The UK, France and the USA should of thought about the consequences of carpet bombing Libya on behalf of extremists. Its no surprise that thousands are fleeing.
Libya is simply the transit point. Most of the migrants are economic migrants from sub Saharan Africa.
And anyway this problem pre-dates the fall of Gadaffi.
Scips, your paymaster Israel is a country filled with European, US, African and Middle Eastern Jews… perhaps they should all return to their countries of origin?
Libya was a country that was thriving and taking in hundreds of thousands of immigrants from all over Africa to work in the oilfields and industry Britain and France toppled its government leading to chaos and terror
You broke it Britain and France now fix it by taking in every single refugee send out the aircraft carriers you used in your terrorist bombing campaign and pick up every single refugee
Interesting how British nationalists were against every Zionist war.
Pity the Aboriginal Australians didn’t do the same
They tried, turns out fighting muskets with sharpened sticks isn’t exactly a good idea.
The biggest elephant in the room that nobody is speaking about, never mind addressing is the spiraling world population. Problems like this are only going to keep increasing. At some stage the world population growth has to stop, I can’t understand why the UN, or someone is not even raising this massive issue. Are people afraid to talk about it ? it’s consequences and the reality of it.
I see where you are coming from Tom, something else I can’t understand is why are they spending €1000 to sail in these death traps ,,surely it wouldn’t cost much more to get on a plane …
Kate, getting on a plane means having a passport, visa, etc. Getting on one of these ships requires only that they can make it understood that they wish to claim asylum when they reach land
I believe it was Alf from home and away who originally said “Stop the boats!”
Australia. A rich country populated by white Europeans that doesn’t want to let in people from poorer neighbouring countries.
Its not that simple, traffickers are selling ‘a dream’. According to one report they are charging €1000 per person to carry them over to this dream, even at the most moderate figures given, the traffickers made €800,000, for this boat, and thats just one boat.Disgusting.
There needs to be ships put in front of these ports, turn them back. After a few boats are turned back, the people on them might realise they cant do this death engulfing rollercoaster.
@patrick
Aka
A country with a leader!
South Africa looks nice, oh yeah I forgot.
For €1000 they could just fly to Europe 1st class and have the price of a few nights in a hotel too…
@jenni
Maybe because they wouldn’t pass the doors of an airport since they most probably don’t have passports visas and the like ? I don’t think they picked the boat rather than a first class ticket over the promess of a nice Mediterranean cruise on qe
And what is wrong with that Patrick? My house my rules, they decide what’s best for them and I agree wit them. Australia has a very fair and comprehensive by the book immigration policy.
I have absolutely zero sympathy from these migrants because the reason why their country is screwed is not because of the government, wake up, if the government goes they will be replaced by the same type. They are like that, they think like that and their people makes their country, most of them are corrupt uneducated backwards. Africa has the potential to be richer than Europe and they don’t do it not because of us. So why should we rewards mediocracy?
Having an Australian immigration policy will ensure that only the minority of these third world countries with the right education and mindset deserve and enjoy a new life where they can contribute to society.
“only the minority of these third world countries with the right education and mindset deserve and enjoy a new life”
If anything that is a more selfish and greedy attitude. Anyone who comes here like yourself with that attitude can fk off. If anything the more destitute and vulnerable deserve the more help. Instead of saying let’s take in all your poor, how about the Irish assert their right to their own sovreign soil and help the 3rd world achieve full sovereignty and proper management over theirs.
Right on Juan!!
Imagine all the piss poor irish throughout our history had their boats turned back.. Short memory lads.
The difference Brendan is the Irish were going to work, not to claim asylum.
Do you know the population of Africa, it’s growth rate and how many people want to leave it for (wel)fairer climes in Europe?
Of course people like you won’t be happy until Europe resembles Nigeria.
A fair point!
Brendan the Irish are usually hard working (bar the pikeys) were as all these will just want to do is sponge
The population of the continent of Africa is 1,1 billion. Its the least populated continent outside Antarctica.It also has the greatest mineral wealth on the planet and the potential to become a net exporter of food.Its ridiculous that nearly 60 years after the last colonial power left that most of the place is still a basket case.60 years following Indian independence for example they are set to become an economic superpower.Im not saying they don’t have issues with crippling poverty but they ain’t queueing up to risk life and limb to get out.Questions have to be asked as to why Africa is the way it is and if its in its best interest in the long run to keep bailing it out.
And latelty they have third level educations .
@ Brendan
Different time, different mechanics!
One same sheep answer!
Why all the red thumbs for Brendan Crowe statement we have short memories
Because Brendan’s point ignores basic historical fact. Quite a few Irish were sent back on the Coffin Ships if they didn’t pass the physical and psychological tests required to gain entry into the US.
Yeh the Irish went to places we had nothing to do with and changed their historic settled nations out of all recognition, yet somehow Africans still have Africa and Asians still have Asia, while they both now have Europe and America too. Whitey is just not fair to them at all at all
Jason am gonna try to be nice cos from your writing you ain’t the brightest when it comes to reality the coffin ships travelled one way
No one was sent back there was no passport control no one had passports when the ships sailed back they carried cargo only
A white man governing Australia, a country which was colonised by the British oppressors advocating callous policies against people seeking refuge from tyranny which the West has contributed to. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was satire.
I didn’t realise there were so many UKIP supporters on the journal.
It’s funny too since their hero contradicted their view:
Farage
“It was the European response that caused this problem in the first place. The fanaticism of [the former French president Nicolas] Sarkozy and Cameron to bomb Libya – what they have done is to destabilise Libya, to turn it into a country of much savagery and a place where the situation is virtually impossible.”
“We ought to be honest and say we have directly caused this problem. There were no migrants coming across from Libya in these quantities before we bombed the country and got rid of Gaddafi, however bad he may have been.”
so what if they agree with ukip?
Our ancestors had the right to defend their turf, they took an axe to traitors within the crannog like yourself
Traitors? If you click into my Twitter there you’ll see I identify as a republican socialist. You do know republicanism was founded on an egalitarian basis? I didn’t know equality was selective, I thought it was that people where treated as equals? Why value the life of masses of human beings over another?
You’d probably agree with the KKK too eire. Your comments are disgusting
I think the biggest arms manufacturing/dealers in the World,ie America, Russia, China, England & France, should be forced by international law to accomodate these people.
At the very least arms embargos should be introduced against countries whos GDP falls below a certain level.If you can’t afford to feed your people you can’t afford war.
@ john Ryan . Why would America France England Germany and many other kill the cash cow ? Don’t be silly
The people of America, russia China etc did not arms deal and it would be an injustice on the ordinary people of these countries. the best long term solution is to help Africa become properous and peaceful, venting off their most energetic and revolutionary people will keep Africa in the crapper, which is what the Chosen want.
Jesus what about life??? Wtf??? No regard for these people.. Shunt them around like cattle..
The problem is that in the long run the current system of plucking refugees out of the ocean leads to more attempting the crossing leading to more deaths.It’s a f*cked up situation but in this case turning people back will save more lives in the long term.We cannot have an open door system or you will eventually see scenes like you have in South Africa as the already disenfranchised citizens of countries become even worse off due to lack of jobs and them getting a smaller and smaller slice of the social welfare pie.
Personally I thing the traffickers are direct spiritual decendants of the Barbary Coast pirates of the 18th and 19th century and instead of taking slaves they are now trafficking in the other direction.This is not a new phenomenon by any means. Gadaffi just stopped it by litterly skinning them alive.In 1805 the US went in and destroyed their bases.Over the years the British , the French , the Italians ,the Spanish , the Portuguese , the Greeks and the Ottomans have tried to knock these guys out. Some had success , some didn’t. Bottom line is the only way to stop this is to return people to the country of origin to dissuade others.Now we can either just return them as is or try to invade Libya and establish safe zones and trust me we don’t want to try the latter.Once word gets out that there is no hope of staying in Europe the trade will slow to a trickle again.
The traffickers and ISIS are one and the same. Flood Europe with enough asylum seekers, and some of the terrorists are bound to get through.
Easier said than done. These people are desperate. They will go to desperate measures to get to Europe.
I don’t know….I watched one news report where the people who had been picked up were taking selfies of themselves with a smart-phone…..hardly desperate…..
Its amazing what people will see and believe on a rectangular box in the corner of their living room , what a brilliant way to get a message across .
“Gavin ” are you in fact iPhone Joan?
We seriously need to look at the Australian policies on immigration. This softly softly approach we currently have will only end in tears
Obviously he is right, but Australia doesn’t have to suffer it..He is freaking 15000 kms away from the trouble and migrant won’t go to him..he can say whatever he wants.. EU has to watch the deaths and suffering..
You’d be amazed at the amount of Lebanese,Palestinian,Somali and other assorted refugees that managed to pony up in Australia despite it being so isolated.Southeast Asian you can almost understand but Middle Eastern and East African ??? You can’t tell me that they were just trying to escape a conflict zone and that Australia was the first safe place they came across.As for North Africa surely the safest places to go would be Algeria , Tunisia , Morocco and Egypt yet we don’t hear about hundreds of thousands trying to get into those countries. Don’t fall for the sob stories of these people fleeing for their lives.In most cases its simply not true. Libya is the go to place simply because there is no coherent governance to stop the traffickers operating.
I wish the british, french and americans would stop meddling in african and middle east affairs, no matter what they do they usually make things worse. Blair, bush etc tried to impose democracy on people that simply do not want it, and unleashed a perfect storm of islamic lunatics, and wannabe dictators.
Yes he is right’its the only way to stop this
Australia has always had a problem with illegals arriving by boat, as any aboriginal
Why would anyone be happy with that hor rible gobd aw ‘s comments?
Here’s one reason why the descendant of a white migrant (also by boat) was able to become prime minister
It’s hard to find the answer in all this. Illegal refugee’s looking for a better life inadvertently make the lives of the residents worse.
Lifeboat ethics
Nothing but right wing scaremongering. Anyone here who agrees with this piece of excrement of a man should watch this, and then ask yourself if you still agree. Humanity is doomed if we can’t look each other. Weren’t the Irish treated worse that dog$hit wherever we went not so long ago? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IaKVmkXuk
Abbott is so Gaffe prone one media outlet has come up with a formula for predicting his gaffes and it’s proving to be remarkably accurate:
1) His appointments diary. Simply check what Mr Tony’s doing that day. That will tell you the contents of the disaster;
2) Sycophancy: Abbott is always trying to suck up to someone by going the extra 15% or so that makes him look ridiculous.
3) Britishness: Abbott is always trying to separate himself from Irish Catholicism, and to affirm that one can be Catholic and British….
You’ll note that his gaffe on lecturing the EU falls under number 2 but as it had no elements of 1 or 3 it didn’t blow up in his face.
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