#2 I remember a few years back when Australian military personnel stormed a merchant vessel called the Tampa - to prevent it discharging its miserable asylum seeker passengers on Australian soil.
6 October [2001]
1813 First warning given to master of vessel.
7 October [2001]
0153 Second warning issued.
0216 Boarding party ordered by Commanding Officer to prepare to board SIEV-4 when vessel enters Christmas Island Contiguous Zone.
0258 Adelaide made close pass down SIEV-4 starboard side.
0335 Adelaide directed by CJTF to conduct a positive and assertive boarding.
0402 Warning 5.56 mm (cannon) shots fired 50 feet in front of vessel.
0405 Warning 5.56 mm shots fired 75 feet in front of SIEV-4.
0409 Warning 5.56 mm shots fired 50-100 feet in front of SIEV-4.
0414 Boarding party advised by CO that if 50 cal machine gun warning shots do not stop vessel, boarding party is to aggressively board SIEV-4.
0418-0420 Twenty-three rounds of 50 cal (20 rounds of automatic fire) fired in front of SIEV-4.
0430 Close quarters manoeuvering by Adelaide, SIEV passed close astern to Adelaide port quarter and reduced speed/took way off momentarily.
0432 Boarding party issued final warning (to SIEV) indicating that if they did not allow boarding party to board, Adelaide would not let them enter Australian waters.
0442 Boarding party effected a conducted non-compliant boarding of SIEV-4.
0445 Boarding party in control of SIEV-4.[1]
Ooooh the memories are flooding back. It's a shame so many people whined about what happened that day. When these a-holes start landing upon our shores and setting up camp sites and god knows what else they are doing on our home soil, it's time to take the necessary action. If that means firing upon foreign vessels, then so be it. Unfortunately we are a too friendly nation, especially towards those cuntries that don't like us. |
The West Australian Premier has accused the Federal Government of not being honest about the threat posed by illegal fishermen in Australian waters.