WARRNAMBOOL refugee advocates are disgusted by the federal government’s attitude towards asylum seekers which they say will see desperate people left to drown at sea.
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Uniting Church’s Reverend Geoff Barker criticised Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s response to resettling any of the 7000 people stranded at sea in South East Asia.
Mr Abbott’s “nope, nope, nope” response to resettling the Myanmar and Bangladesh asylum seekers was disgusting according to Mr Barker said.
“It’s just so rude,” he said.
“It’s like he’s gloating even. I’m disgusted with it.
“At least show some sadness for their cause.”
Mr Abbott told reporters this week if people wanted to start a new life in Australia they needed to come through the front door.
Mr Barker said Mr Abbott’s comments perpetuated a myth that there was an orderly queue for people fleeing persecution.
“There’s the myth that there is a front door and back door. As if there is an immigration office in Myanmar where people can line up,” he said.
“Our government has become so mean. If we’re not in a position to help then who is?
“It’s mean-spirited grandstanding. These are desperate people who we’re going to let drown.”
Mr Barker said Mr Abbott could show strength by leading Australians down a compassionate road.
Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to provide temporary shelter to the refugees as long as the international community provides resettlement within a year.
The United States has vowed to help countries in the region bear the burden and will consider resettlement requests.
Rural Australians for Refugees south-west branch member Don Stewart said Australia was not responding adequately to an issue which required a regional response.
“It’s harsh and un-Australian to not show compassion to these people,” Mr Stewart said.
“It’s totally misleading. There is no door, so to speak.
“In the 1970s, Australia successfully responded to the Indo-Chinese refugee crisis by working with other nations to provide asylum seekers with orderly pathways to refuge and resettlement.
“Now that large numbers are again being driven from their homes by war and persecution, Australia must not stand aside.”
Yesterday, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton defended the government’s decision not to resettle the asylum seekers and said Australia was not in a position to help every displaced person in the world.
He said Australia was instead providing assistance to both the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration to assist with one of the fastest-growing refugee issues in our region.
AAP reported this week nearly 3000 refugees had already swum to shore or had been rescued at sea in the region over the past 10 days after a Thai crackdown disrupted long-established smuggling routes, prompting some to abandon their human cargoes at sea.
Rohingya Muslims are fleeing the country in droves because they do not have citizenship, suffer violence and discrimination and have limited access to education and health care.
Economic migrants from Bangladesh, trying to escape extreme poverty, are also on some of the boats.