FED:PM defends security that missed boat

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2010
FED:PM defends security that missed boat

By AAP Reporters

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended Australia's border watchdogs
failure to detect the doomed asylum seekers vessel off Christmas Island, saying radar
technology was limited in such atrocious weather.

At least 28 people were killed in the shipwreck on Wednesday morning, with fears many
more may have perished.

The wooden Indonesian fishing boat was carrying more than 70 men, women and children,
believed to be of Iraqi, Irani and Kurdish origin, from Indonesia to Christmas Island,
off the northwest coast of Western Australia when it ran into wild weather.

But it was not detected until it was 200 metres from Rocky Point, Christmas Island,
at 5.48am local time (9.48am AEDT) on Wednesday.

By then it was in serious trouble, being thrashed about by violent seas, before being
dashed into the base of limestone cliffs. Dozens of people were thrown into the water.

Local residents were alerted by the screams of asylum seekers calling for help, and
threw life vests into the water to try to rescue them. Nearby navy and customs vessels
could not reach the distressed vessel before it capsized.

So far, it's been confirmed 42 people, including children, survived.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday warned the current death toll of 28, which
includes children, could rise.

"We do not know with any certainty how many people there were on the boat," she told
reporters in Sydney.

"So we have got to prepare ourselves for the likelihood that more bodies will be found
and that there has been further loss of life than we know."

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Colvin said the search-and-recovery
effort was continuing, but was being hampered by continued poor weather conditions, making
it very difficult for all agencies involved.

Involved in the investigation are 45 AFP officers, 13 West Australian police officers
and three officers from the WA Coroner's office. A P3 Orion plane was also involved in
the search.

Ms Gillard, who cut short her holidays to address the disaster, was on Thursday pressed
on why the boat was not detected earlier.

She defended the efforts of customs and the navy, saying surveillance equipment had its limits.

"In very rough and dangerous seas, there is a limit to what can be achieved through
the use of radar and other surveillance mechanisms," she said.

Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor earlier confirmed the Indonesian fishing vessel
was not being tracked as it made its way to Christmas Island.

"We have very low visibility on occasion, as was the case today and yesterday, with
fog descending on the island," he told Sky News from Christmas Island.

"The SIEV (suspected illegal entry vessel) are normally constructed of wood which means
radar detection is nigh on impossible."

Mr O'Connor said it wasn't as easy as people were suggesting to detect asylum seeker
boats, but he said there needed to be a "proper and full and unrushed examination of this
matter".

WA Assistant Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said three triple zero calls were made
from the boat, between 6.59am (WST) and 7.09am (WST) (5.59am to 6.09am Christmas Island
time) on Wednesday. Police immediately contacted the Australian Search and Rescue Authority.

The Australian Greens, refugee advocates and lawyers all have called for an independent
inquiry into the tragedy.

David Manne from the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre says an inquiry could help
prevent future disasters.

"There must be a full independent inquiry, properly resourced, to get to the bottom
of the cause of this tragedy and to make recommendations as to how to avoid these sorts
of tragedies occurring again," he told AAP.

Ms Gillard said it would take some time to establish exactly what happened.

A WA coronial investigation will cover all the events, and there also will be a criminal
investigation under Australia's people-smuggling laws.

Ms Gillard said a standing group comprising government, opposition, Greens and independent
parliamentarians would be established to work with relevant agencies to determine the
best way for managing the response to the incident.

She also paid tribute to the people of Christmas Island who did their best to help
the asylum seekers.

"They were magnificent in these really difficult circumstances. They responded with
great bravery and great compassion."

A team of trauma counsellors, Red Cross carers, interpreters and immigration officials
is on its way to Christmas Island to provide additional support.

Dive shop operator Simon Prince, who was one of the first to arrive at the crash scene,
said on Thursday the enormity of the tragedy had just started to sink in and a lot of
the locals were feeling disturbed about what took place.

"I'm having trouble concentrating right now. I've not had a lot of sleep and it's really
starting to haunt me, everything that's gone on, and I'm not really thinking coherently,"

he told AAP.

"I'm a little bit angry, to tell you the truth. I'm angry this has happened on my doorstep.

That the people smugglers have gone and done this to us, and it has definitely upset the
routine on Christmas Island."

AAP var/jlw/msk/de

KEYWORD: BOAT CAPSIZE WRAP (WITH FACTBOXES)

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