SIEV X issue coverage in "The Bulletin" – 16 December 2003

The first media reference to a possible referral to the International Criminal Court if Howard government continues to ignore Senate demands for a judicial inquiry into the sinking of SIEV X

 

For the past two weeks "The Bulletin" has given a welcome prominence to the SIEV X issue (issues of 9 and 16 December 2003):

http://www.bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/EdDesk.nsf/
All/21A619AE3AE3CDC7CA256D9F00115E6A

http://www.bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/
eddesk.nsf/All/88AECBF6536AA037CA256DEE007B1193!open

For the first time, a major Australian media voice has reported my serious suggestion, first made public on 18 October 2003 at a SIEV X discussion forum in Canberra with Jack Waterford and Margo Kingston – our three speeches are on my website at

http://tonykevin.com/talks_sievx_canberra.html

that if the Senate’s demand for a full-powers judicial inquiry into the sinking of SIEV X continues to be ignored by the Howard Government, there may be legal grounds for taking the SIEV X issue to the International Criminal Court (to whose regime Australia adheres).

The Bulletin’s issue dated 9 December listed me as one of around 16 "Newsmakers of 2003". I found myself in interesting company - the full list of Newsmakers 2003 was:

Peter Cosgrove, Cathy Freeman, Steve Waugh, Reggie Bird, The Block, Guy Sebastian, David Burgess and Will Saunders, Andrew Wilkie, Michael Jeffrey, Terry Hicks, George Pell, Bob Carr, Phil Koperberg, Tony Kevin, John Farnham, Patricia Piccinini.

The feature carried the following text (an interesting take on the SIEV X issue by Bulletin staff writers) as well as a photo:

"Tony Kevin - SIEV-X campaigner

J'accuse! There are echoes of Emile Zola's long campaign for justice in the Dreyfus case in Tony Kevin's agitation for a judicial inquiry into the sinking of the fishing boat SIEV-X two years ago.

In his sights is not Zola's "General Staff" but Australian federal police and their political masters. The rickety SIEV-X was headed for Australia when it went down in international waters and 353 of the refugees on board drowned. Kevin, a former Australian ambassador, believes the boat was sabotaged as part of a belated Indonesian police operation against people-smuggling and, crucially, that Australian police were aware of the operation. If he doesn't get justice here he is contemplating going to the International Criminal Court."

 

Following this article’s appearance I sent the following short letter to the Bulletin which they were kind enough to publish in their next issue, 16 December 2003:

Newsmakers 9.12.03
"Thanks for the honour of my inclusion in Newsmakers of 2003. I would add that the sinking of SIEV X is unfinished business. We owe justice both to its victims and instigators, whoever they were. For Australia to remain a society based on the rule of law, we must learn the truth of how SIEV X was sunk, no matter where the trail may lead.
Tony Kevin, Forrest, ACT"

 

This was very welcome coverage of the SIEV X issue indeed – my sincere thanks to The Bulletin both for their article, and for giving me the opportunity to add a short further comment.

 

Tony Kevin, Canberra , 16 December