What is the story of the SIEV X?
SIEV X was the name assigned by Australian authorities to an Indonesian fishing boat carrying over 400 asylum seekers en route to Australia, which capsized in international waters with great loss of life on 19 October 2001.
What was the SIEV-X incident and what was the result?
The SIEV-X incident occurred during the 2001 Australian Federal election campaign. The Tampa affair had focused national media’s attention on the issue of asylum seekers. Prime Minister John Howard said his policy would prevent people smuggling and stop the boats of asylum seekers from arriving in Australia.
How long did the SIEV-X sinking go undetected?
The committee investigated the SIEV-X sinking, and concluded that “… it [is] extraordinary that a major human disaster could occur in the vicinity of a theatre of intensive Australian operations and remain undetected until three days after the event, without any concern being raised within intelligence and decision making circles.”
What is a suspected illegal entry vessel (SIEV)?
SIEV stands for Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel and is the acronym used by the surveillance authority for any boat that has entered Australian waters without prior authorisation. The X is a designation used where a tracking number has not yet been assigned, in accordance with Australian Government orders.
Did SIEV X shelter in the lee of an island?
8.121 As it transpired, it appears that SIEV X did shelter in the lee of an island due to bad weather at about 9.00am on 18 October, before continuing on its way. [916]
Did the SIEV X disaster help John Howard win the election?
It created a storm of its own, occurring in the middle of John Howard’s re-election campaign. Arguably it helped him win it. The day we learnt of SIEV X’s sinking I thought the disaster would break our hearts and change our ruthless policies towards asylum seekers. Instead it hardened them.