In a blatant act of racism, the Australian government, on Oct. 18, intercepted and turned away a boat with 78 Tamil asylum-seeking refugees. The refugees have been sent to Indonesia.
Earlier this month, Australia diverted another ship with over 250 refugees to Indonesia. Refugees on that boat jumped over the side, fearing that the Indonesian government would deport them back to Sri Lanka.
Numerous other ships have also been turned away. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called the Tamils, who are escaping from government concentration camps in Sri Lanka, “illegal immigrants” who are trying to take advantage of Australia’s “generosity.”
Usually, Australia holds asylum seekers on Christmas Island for six months while their claims are processed. This year Australia has seen a record number of asylum seekers, mainly from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
The Tamil refugees are fleeing from Sri Lanka, where the government waged a murderous military campaign against the Tamil people earlier this year that killed over 80,000 people. Around 250,000 Tamils have lost their homes due to the Sri Lankan military campaign and are now living in concentration camps.
Over the past year, mass demonstrations in Australia, Canada, Europe and beyond have been held to struggle for Tamil self-determination. Justice for the Tamil people now!
