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| Down Under |
| 50 believed dead at Christmas Island |
| 2010-12-15 |
| It may slow down the Muslim invasion of Australia a little bit, but then again, maybe not. ABOUT 50 asylum seekers were believed dead after their boat was smashed to pieces in violent seas off western Australia, the Royal Flying Doctor Service said, with 36 others injured. "We understand, and it's not confirmed, that there are about 50 dead, and about 33 walking wounded,'' said Flying Doctors' spokeswoman Lesleigh Green, adding that they expected to pick up another three critically ill passengers. Three asylum seekers are believe to be critically injured and will be airlifted to Perth. Rough seas off Australia's northwest coast are continuing to hamper rescue, recovery and aid efforts hours later. An Indonesian fishing vessel, believed to have been carrying up to 80 people from Iraq and Iran - including women and children - smashed into a cliff face at Christmas Island, about 2600km northwest of Perth. Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said he had briefed PM Julia Gillard, who is on holiday, about the situation and said the rescue was on-going. "We've just had a tragic incident," he said. "It will be some time before we have a clear picture of these events and their consequences." "A number of people have been rescued and sadly ... a number of bodies have been retrieved." Two planes from the Australian Flying Doctor Service were expected to fly from Perth to Christmas Island later Wednesday, but may not be able to land because of monsoonal weather conditions in the area, Sky News reported. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #10 Secret Master, Well over a thousand of there asylum shoppers have drowned in the last ten years being ferried in leaky fishing boats by people smugglers, from Indonesia. They have been told over and over till people are blue in the face not to cross or bring their children with them. But will they listen? Not a bit of it. Just more lies from the kuffar, they say. Well they might listen now with plenty of footage of the disaster. If they don't listen, there is only the Darwin Award left for them. |
| Posted by: tipper 2010-12-15 20:34 |
| #9 I doubt that anyone on Rantburg agrees with the Australian government's asylum policy, Tipper. But unlike Excalibur and Chris, most of us don't find 50 basically innocent men, women, and children being drowned to be a cause for pithy comments. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2010-12-15 17:43 |
| #8 Check at the dry cleaners: you might have left your humanity there with your shirts. The present Labor Government was trying to show its "humanitarian" and "compassionate" side when it started piling "sugar" on the table which lured these asylum shoppers to their death. But that's OK because good intentions which give you a warm fuzzy feeling is more important than good outcomes which sounds so mature and fuddy duddy. |
| Posted by: tipper 2010-12-15 17:17 |
| #7 More of the same can be expected, if boats are still leaving Indonesia for Christmas Island. The summer wet season is in full swing and the seas North and West of the W.A. coast are a cyclone (hurricane) breeding area. Even the standard daily storms are extremely violent- a friend was managing some buildings up that way, and after a storm he would have to go up on the roof and clean off all the jellyfish. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2010-12-15 16:44 |
| #6 It really doesn't matter what religion they are, or even whether they had a right to flee to Australia or not: this is horrifying and tragic. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2010-12-15 15:09 |
| #5 There was an article on Facebook (don't have a link) that said a lot of Christians were fleeing the Middle East for anywhere they think they'll be welcome. I KNOW the Christians in Indonesia are looking for a way out, especially those in West Irian. Some of them have been hiking the 700 miles to Papua New Guinea. These refugees may be Muslim, but there's an equal chance they're Christians fleeing oppression. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-12-15 13:39 |
| #4 Excalibur and Chris, the definition of a jerk, according to Sidney J. Harris, is a person unable to look in a mirror and shudder at what he sees there. Do not wish evil on anyone. |
| Posted by: mom 2010-12-15 10:18 |
| #3 The drowning of innocents is always bad, Chris. Check at the dry cleaners: you might have left your humanity there with your shirts. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-12-15 09:10 |
| #2 God doing the work government won't. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2010-12-15 08:57 |
| #1 are they muslims and if so is this supposed too be bad news? |
| Posted by: chris 2010-12-15 08:22 |