Saturday, 20 July 2013 00:14
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No illegal migrants who arrive in Australia by boat will be allowed to settle there, the Australian government decided on Friday in a landmark move that is aimed at stopping boatloads of people, including Sri Lankans, arriving at its shores. But will it really stop Sri Lankans from risking their lives on the high seas?
Under the new arrangement signed with Papua New Guinea – the Regional Settlement Arrangement – unauthorised arrivals will be sent to Papua New Guinea for assessment and if found to be a refugee, will be settled there. This means arriving in Australia by boat will no longer mean settlement in Australia.
Under the new arrangements, regional processing arrangements in Papua New Guinea will be significantly expanded and boat people will be sent to Manus Island as soon as health checks are complete and appropriate accommodation is identified.
Nearly 1,300 Sri Lankans have been returned by the Australian government after they attempted to legally migrant via boat. At least another 1,500 have been arrested by the Navy while attempting to leave Sri Lanka by boat, showing the massive desperation felt by people, which will not be easily deterred by fresh regulations.
The fact that Sri Lanka needs to tighten its human smuggling and asylum seeker legislations is an obvious point. Unscrupulous people who dupe others into parting with their savings on false promises of a plentiful life need to be punished severely. Yet, at the same time, there must be economic opportunities made available to them so that their reasons for leaving are no longer valid.
Awareness of the danger could be one aspect that needs to be driven home, but the ordeal they will face if they reach their destination must be made known to them as well. Perhaps the most important point is that they must be provided with security and the assurance that law and order will protect them, thus allowing them to be productive citizens in their own country.
Given that public officials are also among the numbers detained, the time has come to accept that the asylum seekers issue has a deep economic facet that cannot be explained away by international conspiracies or human smugglers connected to the LTTE, a point that was acknowledged by officials from Australia and Canada, who pointed out that economic reasons were behind most migrations.
Even though awareness of Australia’s new regulations could be one stopping point, it will not stop boat people from attempting to illegally migrate to other countries. The comparative ease of reaching Australia has so far been the biggest attraction. With those doors closed, it is very likely that people will seek other options as living standards become more challenging here.
Giving economic returns to the majority of people is the biggest challenge and ultimately the best solution to this exodus. But this is easier said than done. As plenty of recognised organisations and even senior ministers of the Government have pointed out, corruption, mismanagement and unfair policies such as taxation have eroded the economy and increased the cost of living. Without an honest commitment from the Government to address these issues, a chance to migrate will remain attractive to many.
