INTRODUCTORY In August 2001 a...

INTRODUCTORY

In August 2001 a Norwegian boat, MV Tampa, rescu 430 asylum inquirers from an Indonesian vessel in international waters. The Tampa Captain decided forward humanitarian grounds to ferry the 430 minds to Australian territorial waters, the plan being for them to disembark upon Christmas Island. The conservative (Liberal) Australian management of the day refused to permit disembarkation onward Australian territory. After legal appeals and counter-appeals, and a devastating period of uncertainty for the asylum inquirers some were eventually taken to of the present day Zealand and others to the