Ian McPhedran
The Daily Telegraph
January 22,2014
FAR from burning the hands of asylum seekers, Australian Navy sailors actually provided first aid to asylum seekers whose hands were burned as they attempted to sabotage their own boat.
Navy chief Vice-Admiral Griggs will take to Twitter later today to deny allegations by Indonesian police and asylum seekers that his sailors had tortured them by burning their hands and bashing them.
"This is not what the navy does," a source said he would say.
"We have always been about saving people's lives."
The Lies and Slander propagated by THEIR ABC, Australia's HATE MEDIA, Hatred of all things Australian
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison today rejected the claims, adding the government is committed to strong Australian borders.
"There are any number of criminal syndicates trying to reach our borders that put Australians at risk,'' he said.
Earlier he labelled the reports "unfounded, unsubstantiated and outrageous".
"There has been no police investigation in Indonesia," Mr Morrison told Fairfax radio in Perth.
"I am surprised that unsubstantiated allegations would have been aired in such a way which diminish our navy.
"I have total confidence in our navy - for these allegations to be aired without any qualification is a pretty poor effort and not something most Australians would give a tick too.
"These people put themselves them at risk to protect others. For them to have to sit there and cop this sort of rubbish is offensive."
The navy also has the backing of Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss.
"I'm confident they have behaved responsibly and appropriately,'' Mr Truss told media today.
"We received assurances that the defence forces have acted responsibly and I accept those assurances.''
Video aired on ABC News shows asylum seekers undergoing medical checks for burns that Indonesian police say were caused by the Australian Navy.
Indonesian police say they had to get medical treatment for 10 asylum seekers - seven with severe burns on their hands - after they were picked up in Indonesian waters on January 6, ABC News reports.
Indonesian police told ABC News the burns were caused after the Australian Navy forced asylum seekers to board a boat being towed back to Indonesia and to hold onto pipes coming out of the boat's engine.
ABC News says the police claims appear to correspond with claims of mistreatment made by the asylum seekers when they first spoke to them a fortnight ago.
Asylum seekers also claim they were beaten by navy personnel, ABC News reports.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has moved to ease tensions with Indonesia by declaring it is Australia's "most important single relationship''.
It comes as Australian Customs and Defence start a review into the entry of Australian vessels into Indonesian waters after the incursions reignited tensions between the nations.
The Australian PM has arrived in Davos for this week's World Economic Forum but he won't get a chance to meet with Dr Yudhoyono, who is not attending.
However Mr Abbott stressed the importance he placed on relations with Australia's northern neighbour and its leader.
"It is, in the broad, our most important single relationship,'' Mr Abbott told a press conference in Davos on Tuesday.
"At different times in the past there have been difficulties ... and I dare say our two countries being what they are, there will be difficulties in the future.
"But I do want to stress President Yudhoyono has been a great president of Indonesia, has been a very good friend of Australia and I have enormous personal respect and admiration for the president.
" ... I want nothing but a good relationship between Australia and Indonesia.''
