Australia Accused Of Returning To Convict Ship Era

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 8-4-2006 | Nick Squires

[blam]

Australia accused of returning to convict ship era

By Nick Squires in Cairns

(Filed: 04/08/2006)

Australia plans to use an armed prison ship to hold illegal fishermen and "boat people" in a move that critics say smacks of the country's convict origins.

Under the plan, naval and customs patrol boats will no longer have to return to port to deposit asylum seekers and poachers detained at sea.

"The vessel will have the capability to remain at sea for extended periods and operate independently in waters around Australia," said Chris Ellison, the customs minister.

Terry O'Gorman, the president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, called it "an immigration prison ship". He said: "It's a delicious historical irony that Australia was founded on convicts who were moved from prison hulks in the Thames. Now we are repeating history."

The vessel, which could be operating by January, would carry up to 30 armed customs officers and two deck-mounted machineguns. It would be able to hold up to 30 detainees for up to a month.

Hundreds of Indonesian fishing boats are caught operating illegally off Australia's north coast each year. Earlier this year, a two-week operation caught 23 fishing boats and nearly 200 crew.

Asylum seekers could also be detained, although the flow of boat people has been reduced to a trickle since Canberra started sending them to offshore holding centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Most are eventually sent home.

The opposition Labour Party said the best way to tackle poaching at sea was to establish a full-time coastguard, which Australia currently lacks.

Joe Ludwig, an opposition spokesman, said: "What you are going to have is illegal fishers being held in detention on a boat out at sea for 30 days in the ship's brig. It seems a little bit cruel to me."

[gaijin]

Maybe we could have flotillas of such ships off of San Diego/Tijuana? Like the Spanish Armada, or Kubla Khan's flotilla....?

[LeoWindhorse]

just deep six them and feed the white pointers

[crazyhorse691]

I must be missing something because I certainly see no connection to the proposed prison ship and the 200 yr. old forced journey half way around the world of English prisoners. Guess I don't think abstractly enough.

[Aussie Dasher]

These "civil liberties" types give me the shi'ites!!!

[dodger]

A "CULTURALLY COMPETENT" policy initiative!

[ApplegateRanch]

What a great use for the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay!

[Waverunner]

Of course the Telegraph forgets it was really the BRITISH convict ship era. Empire and all that rot what not.

[justa-hairyape]

Of course the Telegraph forgets it was really the BRITISH convict ship era. Empire and all that rot what not.

While doing some research on Scottish surname ancestors, I discovered that the English first sent their 'convicts' to the pre-revolutionary USA (1724-1775). After our revolution of 1776, the English then began to take the prisoners to Australia (a much longer trip). Many of my surname ancestors were probably on those 'prison' ships that traveled to the pre-revolutionary US. Their crimes consisted of supporting the Jacobite's during the Jacobite Uprisings. Jacobite's supported the King James hierarchy line. Most highlander clans and some lowlander clans were Jacobite's (also catholics). Got our land stripped and probably got the boot. Some voluntary and some on 'prison' ships. We ended up being the lucky ones. Those that stayed in Scotland experienced the Lowlander clearances, the Highlander clearances and of course the resulting later potato famines.

[Waverunner]

being born in Georgia, of Scottish ancestry, I can confirm that they sent the convicts to Georgia to fight the Spanish and Indians, when not clearing swamp. Our local famous battle involves the marshes of Glynn , ( near brunswick georgia) and the spanish incursion.

[justa-hairyape]

Interesting. Perhaps a whole part of Americans Early History has not been fully discovered, unless someone can recommend a good book. Wonder if the 'English' prisoners that were brought over here were all kept within prisons on American soil ? Were they considered mercenaries who were forced to fight the Spaniards and Indians ? I know that some of my surname ancestors fought for the American Revolution. I saw one stat that in 1790 the most dominant ethnicities in America were German #1, Scottish #2, English #3. Wonder what the reasons for the Germans were ? Were they fleeing religious persecution ? Looks like the Quaker story only covers a small group of early Americans. Later on the Jacobites (first prisoners sent to America by England during 1724-1775) were composed of the following religions: Catholics; Quakers; Church of England and Church of Scotland. The first Americans from my Scottish Lowlander clan was documented being here right around 1700. The first undocumented members from my clan probably began arriving in the mid-1600's through the earliest settlements in Virginia. My clan members apparently came over in a variety of ways: explorers; settlers; Jacobites forced out of Scotland; Jacobite prisoners of the English and probably some fleeing the later Lowlander clearances.