TEMPO.CO, Canberra – Prime Minister Tony Abbot refused to release details regarding Australian policy on border protection and asylum seekers returning to Indonesian border. He prefers to be criticized in relation to asylum seekers, or 'boat people', than revealing the details to the public.
I’d rather be criticized for being a bit of a closed book on this issue and actually stop the boats," he said to local media yesterday, as reported by BBC. "The point is not to provide sport for public discussion. The point is to stop the boats."
Abbot, who is viewed to have a strict policy regarding the matter in order to win Australian election, said that the information restriction can help stopping the people smugglers.
"The less we talk about operational details on the water, the better when it comes to stopping the boats," he said as reported by BBC.
Several illegal immigrants who finally landed in East Nusa Tenggara revealed Australian soldier mistreatment. Yousif Ibrahim from Sudan admitted that he was handcuffed and insulted verbally. According to Ibrahim, a refugee was beaten by a shoe after their boat was stopped by Australian naval forces.
Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, denied the allegation of mistreatment. He stated that Australian Naval personnel has a high "professionalism".
"In my view, our Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel conduct themselves in a humane and considerate manner that is a credit to them and to the Australian Defense Force," said Australia's Defense Force Chief David Hurley to ABC.
BBC | ABC | NATALIA SANTI
