Looks like Big People Smuggling have been earning it up since Rudd softened, in 2008, laws dealing with illegal immigrants. It has come at a high price. Andrew Bolt, the National Party and the popular media have been bandying about numbers - 25 to 37 – of the dead that were trying to get to Australia. In my tally, I’ve only included people from likely refugee countries that were known or suspected to be seeking asylum in Australia:
14th January 2009 (14 dead) – off Indonesia. Prisoners attempting a jail break to get to Australia. Includes the two who died as reported by the ABC.
Of the 18 who set out on that trip after a violent escape from a Kupang detention centre, only four people were rescued…
16th April 2009 (5 dead) – off Australia.
THREE asylum seekers have been killed in an explosion on board the latest boat to be intercepted by the Australian Navy….Two other passengers are missing, possibly drowned…
27th April 2009 (9 dead) – off Malaysia.
…nine bodies, eight of them Pakistanis, were found floating in the South China Sea off Pengerang
28th May 2009 (19 dead) – off North Sumatra. Not 15, as previously reported.
…the death toll in the recent Afghan immigrant boat accident in Halang Island waters, Kubu sub district, Rokan Hilir (Rohil) district, Riau Province, has risen to 19.
The boat carrying 36 illegal Afghan immigrants from Malaysia capsized in the waters in Riau, Sumatra, on Thursday (May 28), leaving 19 dead, 16 survivors, and 1 still missing, Ashari, head of the Bagan Bapiapi immigration office, said recently.
29th May 2009 (7 dead) – off Indonesia. UPDATE – i think this entry is referring to the incident above, so I am excluding the figure.
A WOODEN boat that sank off the coast of Indonesia, killing at least seven passengers, was carrying Afghans who were on their way to Australia, an official says.
So 54 47 dead. It’s called Rudd’s new compassionate approach to asylum seekers. Julia Gillard seems to think these people never died:
Mr Truss has done is he appears to have just got on Google and looked in the dark recesses of the internet, cobbled together some figure and then accused the government of causing that loss of life, accuse the government of causing the loss of 25 lives. Well there is no evidence to support this figure.
I hope she was referring to my website. So Julia, where exactly were these poor people going, Hong Kong Disney, or looking for a good time at the Christmas Island casino? Seems though Julia should get her own house in order before she starts attacking the ‘dark recesses of the internet.’
UPDATE
A clarification on my previous comments. The main stream media has basically ignored the above deaths. You’ll notice that the links are to foreign newspapers, and what local coverage there has been is care of nasty Rupert Murdoch!!! Well you wouldn’t want to tell people the truth. The ABC has shown its capacity to avoid the truth in promoting pro-Rudd propaganda. And its lack of reporting on these deaths is further evidence of this.
