The callous and criminal treatment of refugees - World Socialist Web Site
▻http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/06/17/pers-j17.html
The callous and criminal treatment of refugees
17 June 2015
It is now apparent, despite the refusal of the Australian government to confirm or deny the allegations, that Australian authorities paid the crew of a refugee boat to take 65 asylum seekers back to Indonesia against their will.
Liberal and Labor governments alike have justified their policy of denying refugees the right under international law to claim asylum in Australia on the grounds that it “saves lives,” by discouraging them from paying “criminal people-smugglers” to transport them on unseaworthy vessels. Refugees are regularly intercepted and condemned to indefinite detention in prison camps on remote Pacific islands, or, “turned back” to “send a message” to future asylum seekers.