Scott Morrison attacks critics of Sri Lanka
Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison who returned to his
country after a two-day visit had lashed out at “increasingly shrill”
critics of Sri Lanka, Australian media reports said yesterday.
A news report published by The Australian on its online edition
yesterday said, “On his return from Sri Lanka yesterday, the Immigration
Minister said that isolating Sri Lanka would only harm economic growth
and increase the prospect of more people-smuggler boats coming to
Australia.
Morrison said advocacy for asylum-seekers was being used as a “very
negative platform on Sri Lanka itself’’ to turn the nation into a
pariah.
“The ultimate aim of some is to isolate Sri Lanka which is not only
dangerous, arrogant and indulgent but smacks of moral colonialism,”
Morrison said.
“It is offensive to suggest that people being returned to Sri Lanka,
most of whom are economic refugees, face persecution. It is even more
offensive for India to suggest Sri Lankans, Sinhalese or Tamils returned
to India would face persecution.” All but a “very few” of the 41
asylum-seekers - 37 Sinhalese and four Tamils - returned to Sri Lanka
after being seized by Australian Navy and Customs had been released from
custody. Those still in custody were being questioned.
The Abbott government’s policy of intercepting boats from Sri Lanka
or India outside Australian waters and returning them is being
challenged in the High Court by asylum-seeker advocates.
Morrison said the Australian government’s policy was to treat Sri
Lanka with a policy of practical engagement, which was the same policy
as that of former Labour Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
“We raise human rights issues when there is a need, but the economic
growth in Sri Lanka has affirmed our view of working constructively and
supportively with Sri Lanka,” Morrison said.
He said Sri Lanka did not deserve the torrent of abuse. Operation
Sovereign Borders commander Angus Campbell, appearing before a Senate
inquiry praised “the policy settings of the current and former
governments” for stemming the flow of boats from 48, a month last July
to five in October and November.
It was decided that even that small number was unsustainable and the
government began towing boats back to Indonesia from mid-December. “No
ventures have departed in Indonesia since early May 2014, there have
been no known deaths at sea since December 9, 2013 and no deaths at all
in Australia’s territorial waters since Operation Sovereign Borders
began,” he told the inquiry. Australian law enforcement had assisted in
the arrest of 204 suspects, including 49 alleged organisers and 34
alleged facilitators of people-smuggling, and the disruption of 44
ventures.
Courtesy : Department of Government Information
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