Why wasn't the Senate Select Committee on A Certain Maritime Incident (CMI) informed that 7 months before SIEVX
sank, Abu Quassey had sent a boat to Christmas Island that required
rescue at sea by Australian authorities?
On 27 March 2001 AusSAR searched for a vessel stranded at sea for a week with 22 asylum seekers on board; the Department of Immigration (DIMIA) later code-named this vessel Gelantipy and in January this year the AFP reported to the Senate that Abu Quassey was the alleged organiser of this boat.
In October 2001, the People Smuggling Taskforce (PST) knew that Abu
Quassey had an overloaded boat in poor condition on its way to
Christmas Island. And agencies such as DIMIA and AMSA which were represented on the Taskforce, knew of his past record of leaving 22 people stranded at sea for a week.
How then can we believe that the reference in the PST minutes of 18 October
2001 to 'some risk of vessels in poor condition and rescue at sea' did
not include SIEVX?
This is very reminiscent of Australian authorities' silence in regard to the DFAT cable of 23 October 2001.
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