Military men say turning back boats can work
Retired Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie, who was Chief of Navy between 2002 and 2005, says turning back the boats can work - despite what so many journalists of the Left seem to think:
A turn-back operation as it was practised in 2001 is a hazardous, risky task because of the nature of the people that you’re dealing with. They’re people who are intent on getting to Australia and you’re trying to turn them back from Australia.
But nevertheless it’s a legitimate Navy operation. It’s something that Navy’s have done over centuries. And in that sense, if the government gives a direction to do it, then Navy people will do it and they’ll do it well.
The journalist wonders why just four were turned back:
TONY EASTLEY: Why did the practice stop when it did?
CHIRS RITCHIE: No more boats came.
TONY EASTLEY: None at all?
CHIRS RITCHIE: None at all. None at all.
TONY EASTLEY: If that same model of returning boats was to be reinstituted today, do you think it would still work?
CHIRS RITCHIE: If the conditions were replicated, it could still work.
Australia’s most recent defence attaché to Jakarta agrees and dismisses Kevin Rudd’s absurd warnings of Tony Abbott’s policy risking war:
Retired Brigadier Gary Hogan, who finished his three-year posting in Jakarta last year, says it is not realistic to talk about risking conflict with our northern neighbour.
“I think the strength of our strategic partnership would make that an unlikely scenario,” he said…
“I do think it’s possible for us to push back boats or to intercept boats and to lead them back to their source,” he told ABC News 24.
“We can’t do it on our own, we must do it with the Indonesians and I think we can do it with the Indonesians.
“I think it’s possible for us to get that level of cooperation with the Indonesian navy, in fact we already have that level of cooperation with the navy in the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago.”
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/milit... Chris Ritchie isn't a casual contributor to blogs; he's a retired vice admiral with hands-on experience. We didn't go to war over the issue of turning boats back previously so Indonesia can't now say such a policy is unacceptable.