Another boat carrying 72 asylum seekers from Indonesia to Australia has been reported to have sunk a couple of days ago. A number of asylum seekers were reportedly rescued by local fisherman after the boat sank in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. However, around 60 asylum seekers are still reported to be missing, but that does not seem to be enough information to start an aerial search.
BASARNAS investigation team leader Rohmali said on April 13 that details were scarce. "We need solid information to start deploying helicopters and boats," he said.
In August last year, BASARNAS was questioned over its response to the sinking of an asylum seeker boat almost in the same area. More than 100 asylum seekers drowned on that occasion and it was later revealed that an aerial search was not launched until six hours after the first distress call.
An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman told News Limited they had not had any requests for assistance from BASARNAS. "Because this incident is in Indonesia's search and rescue zone there's no obligation for BASARNAS to provide us with information,'' she said.
"We haven't had any involvement in any search and rescue operation, and we haven't had any requests for assistance.''
The issue of refugees is an international problem and needs proper attention from international community. The refugees who leave their homelands in search of better life, most of the times suffer different sorts of hardships before they reach somewhere safe. Most of them even do not reach to the destination they set for as happened in the incident mentioned above. On most of the occasions they fall prey to the ill intentions of human-smugglers, who discriminate them as much as they can. Furthermore, they have to go through severe kind of psychological depression and strain as they go through the worst sort of experiences.
The growing discontent in different parts of the world has made the number of refugees and asylum seekers rise considerably. Currently, the crisis in Middle East and North African countries has compelled so many refugees to leave their countries and find refuge in European countries. Apart from that there are many refugees who have travelled from Asian countries that suffer from conflicts, clashes and discriminations. Afghanistan is one of the most dominant countries in this regard. Decades of wars and terrorism along with droughts and shortages of basic requirements have compelled million of people to leave the country. Though there has been remarkable decrease in this regard, millions of Afghan refugees are still living their lives in neighboring countries (like Pakistan and Iran), European countries, Australia and America; while, there are thousand others who are still in different sorts of camps and detention centers around the world waiting for some sort of sympathy and attention. The circumstances faced by these refugees are not always welcoming and they have to bear the brunt of different sorts of reactions. Though in some countries they are welcomed warmly, in others they are treated in a very cruel manner.
Australia has been one of the major countries that have been experiencing the influx of refugees. In deed there are thousands of refugees in Australia that have traveled from different parts of the world in search of secure life and better living standards. Though there have been remarkable compensations made by the Australian authorities for the refugees, recently they have been facing certain difficulties and controversies regarding the compensation of the refugees. There are thousands of refugees in refugee camps in Australia waiting for their destiny to be decided. There are thousand others who are in different islands near Australia and many others in the camps and detention centers in Indonesia ready to move to Australia through every possible way. Australian government last year decided to decrease the burden of the refugees by making an agreement with the Malaysian government, according to which, the refugees had to be transferred to camps in Malaysia. This particular agreement was very controversial since Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees. Moreover, many cases of violation of the human rights have been reported in the treatment of refugees in Malaysian detention centers. Australian High Court also rejected the plan of shipping boatpeople to Malaysia. It was of the view that the asylum seekers cannot be sent to some other countries unless the country is compelled to adequately protect them. Canberra in this regard suffered a setback. UN secretary general, Ban Ki Mon, also mentioned in his visit to Australia that UN had concerns regarding the treatment of refugees by Australian authorities.
Australia has also agreements with Nauru and Papua New Guinea which have resulted in regional processing centers in those countries. There are few who claim that these processing centers do not process the cases of asylum seekers on urgent basis and many of them suffer from different physical and psychological problems.
Australian authorities in this regard have been under pressure from the citizens of country and opposition, especially from those who do not support movement of the refugees in the country. Furthermore, it has been of the view that its agreement with different governments, if followed, can be very much useful in controlling human-smugglers and discourage risky attempts by the refugees that may threaten their lives. Moreover, they are of the view that the issue of the refugees is an international issue; therefore, all the countries of the world must share the burden of the refugees. Australia alone does not have the responsibility to compensate them. Though Australian authorities through their stand may satisfy the pressure of the opposition and the anti-refugee sentiments in the country, they will, at the same time remain under international pressure as far as the human rights and the rights of the refugees are concerned. Furthermore, it will be difficult for them to keep the UN “concerned” as Canberra is striving for the membership of UN Security Council.
Definitely there are political and diplomatic concerns for all the governments of the world to consider, but the issue of refugees is more important than such concerns, as it involves the precious human lives and the lives of human beings stand more sacred than any other concern, belief or ideology.