Boatpeople tried to kill child: Libs

ASYLUM-SEEKERS had attempted to strangle a child, tried to set themselves alight and threatened to throw children as young as 2 overboard in an orchestrated attempt to pressure the navy, a Liberal senator has claimed.

The Howard Government yesterday used fresh reports of 10 naval boardings between September and December 2001 in a dramatic bid to deflect attention from false claims that children had been thrown off a vessel in the lead-up to last year's federal election.

The reports were released on the opening day of the Senate inquiry in which the head of the Defence Department, Allan Hawke, said he had offered to quit over his failure to tell former defence minister Peter Reith that photographs allegedly of children who had been thrown into the sea were misleading.

The Defence reports, tabled by Liberal senator George Brandis, added to earlier evidence that one child had been "dropped" into the ocean off Ashmore Reef. The documents said that on one vessel "one PII (potential illegal immigrant) attempted to throw a child overboard, as another PII attempted to strangle a child. PIIs restrained. Children safe".

On the same vessel, another person "threatened to throw children overboard if not permitted to cook own food". On a different vessel, a girl aged 4 or 5, with her arm in a cast, was allegedly held over the side of the boat by one leg.

In other instances, the Defence document said, asylum-seekers doused themselves with fuel and tried to set themselves alight, threatened on several occasions to throw children overboard and sabotaged a boat's engines.

But on the boat intercepted off Christmas Island and seized on by the Government during the federal election campaign, the navy advised that "a small child was threatened only, repeat threatened only, to be dropped or thrown overboard".

In this case, a girl aged 5 was dressed in a lifejacket and held over the side of the boat.

Senator Brandis said that reports from seven of the 10 vessels documented by Defence suggested "a repeated pattern of the abuse of the children, the physical harming of children by the unlawful immigrants".

Navy commander Vice-Admiral David Shackleton replied that "the use of children to gain our attention to demonstrate on their part what they might do with the children was certainly designed to get our attention".

Late last night, the commander of the HMAS Adelaide, Norman Banks, told the inquiry he had never said children were thrown overboard on October 7.

"I reported up the chain – the truth (that no children were thrown overboard)," he said. He said while some of his ship's complement had questioned "Why are we doing this?" at the outset, they treated the people as refugees deserving of respect.

In earlier evidence, Dr Hawke told the inquiry that he was informed of concerns by Defence public affairs and then military media adviser, Brigadier Gary Bornholt, within four days of the October 7 incident that the photographs were misleading.

But he had left it to the Defence public affairs department to pass on the information to Mr Reith's media adviser, Ross Hampton, and military adviser Mike Scrafton.

In hindsight, he said, his "failure" was in not providing Mr Reith with clear oral and written advice.

Dr Hawke said at the time the children overboard incident was "not a big issue . . . not very large on the radar screen". He said he had offered his resignation to new Defence Minister Robert Hill in early February this year.

A spokeswoman for Senator Hill said last night that he had not accepted Dr Hawke's resignation.

In the lead-up to the election, the Government claimed the photos showed children in the water after they had been thrown overboard by their parents on October 7.

In fact, they were taken the following day as the vessel was sinking.


	Government News Index site index HOME Boatpeople tried to kill child: Libs By JOHN KERIN and MEGAN SAUNDERS The Australian 26mar02 ASYLUM-SEEKERS had attempted to strangle a child, tried to set themselves alight and threatened to throw children as young as 2 overboard in an orchestrated attempt to pressure the navy, a Liberal senator has claimed. The Howard Government yesterday used fresh reports of 10 naval boardings between September and December 2001 in a dramatic bid to deflect attention from false claims that children had been thrown off a vessel in the lead-up to last year's federal election. The reports were released on the opening day of the Senate inquiry in which the head of the Defence Department, Allan Hawke, said he had offered to quit over his failure to tell former defence minister Peter Reith that photographs allegedly of children who had been thrown into the sea were misleading. The Defence reports, tabled by Liberal senator George Brandis, added to earlier evidence that one child had been "dropped" into the ocean off Ashmore Reef. The documents said that on one vessel "one PII (potential illegal immigrant) attempted to throw a child overboard, as another PII attempted to strangle a child. PIIs restrained. Children safe". On the same vessel, another person "threatened to throw children overboard if not permitted to cook own food". On a different vessel, a girl aged 4 or 5, with her arm in a cast, was allegedly held over the side of the boat by one leg. In other instances, the Defence document said, asylum-seekers doused themselves with fuel and tried to set themselves alight, threatened on several occasions to throw children overboard and sabotaged a boat's engines. But on the boat intercepted off Christmas Island and seized on by the Government during the federal election campaign, the navy advised that "a small child was threatened only, repeat threatened only, to be dropped or thrown overboard". In this case, a girl aged 5 was dressed in a lifejacket and held over the side of the boat. Senator Brandis said that reports from seven of the 10 vessels documented by Defence suggested "a repeated pattern of the abuse of the children, the physical harming of children by the unlawful immigrants". Navy commander Vice-Admiral David Shackleton replied that "the use of children to gain our attention to demonstrate on their part what they might do with the children was certainly designed to get our attention". Late last night, the commander of the HMAS Adelaide, Norman Banks, told the inquiry he had never said children were thrown overboard on October 7. "I reported up the chain – the truth (that no children were thrown overboard)," he said. He said while some of his ship's complement had questioned "Why are we doing this?" at the outset, they treated the people as refugees deserving of respect. In earlier evidence, Dr Hawke told the inquiry that he was informed of concerns by Defence public affairs and then military media adviser, Brigadier Gary Bornholt, within four days of the October 7 incident that the photographs were misleading. But he had left it to the Defence public affairs department to pass on the information to Mr Reith's media adviser, Ross Hampton, and military adviser Mike Scrafton. In hindsight, he said, his "failure" was in not providing Mr Reith with clear oral and written advice. Dr Hawke said at the time the children overboard incident was "not a big issue . . . not very large on the radar screen". He said he had offered his resignation to new Defence Minister Robert Hill in early February this year. A spokeswoman for Senator Hill said last night that he had not accepted Dr Hawke's resignation. In the lead-up to the election, the Government claimed the photos showed children in the water after they had been thrown overboard by their parents on October 7. In fact, they were taken the following day as the vessel was sinking. Index