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Australian Troops Storm Refugee Ship
Commandos armed with machine guns seized control of a Norwegian ship Wednesday after its captain defied orders not to bring its unwanted cargo of 438 refugees into Australian territorial waters.
Prime Minister John Howard, seeking a third term in elections later this year, has refused to take in the refugees, saying they were rescued in international waters and should have been taken to the closest port ¡ª which was in Indonesia. Many Australians are angry at the high cost of dealing with thousands of refugees who arrive each year.
Witnesses said dozens of elite Australian troops sped across the coral dotted azure waters of Christmas Island's Flying Fish Cove in three small boats before climbing aboard the Norwegian ship, the Tampa.
The armed raid dramatically raised the stakes in diplomatic exchanges between Australia, Indonesia and Norway over who should house the mainly Afghani refugees, who were rescued Monday by the Tampa's crew from a sinking Indonesian ferry in international waters.
Indonesia, struggling to cope with more than 1 million of its own citizens fleeing civil unrest, also doesn't want them.
Norway, incensed by the armed raid on the Tampa, called again on Australia to take in the refugees, among them pregnant women and dozens of children.
Norway's Foreign Ministry summoned Australian Ambassador Malcolm Leader on Wednesday, but progress in talks was apparently minimal. "We have a dialogue, but the situation is deadlocked," ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik said.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it was "very concerned" for the refugees and was trying to bring representatives for Norway, Australia and Indonesia together in Geneva to negotiate a solution to the standoff. But officials from those countries have said they would have to consult first with their governments.
A spokesman for New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said New Zealand would consider offering the refugees asylum, if it was asked.
Late Wednesday, the Tampa remained close to the island, illuminated by bright lights on deck.
The ship's operator condemned the military action.
Late Wednesday, Howard introduced new laws in Parliament strengthening the government's rights to turn ships away from its waters.
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