This article discusses the Australian debates surrounding the creation of a memorial for those who died on the SIEV X, a small fishing vessel travelling from Indonesia to Australia carrying about 400 asylum seekers that sank in international waters in 2001. Specific focus is laid on how supposed “enemies” or "illegal migrants" are perceived as posing a threat to Australian national borders. The author is a public historian who took part in the campaigns to erect the SIEV X memorial in Canberra. The article draws on the author's experience in the campaign as well as interviews with SIEV X survivors, Australian parliamentarian debates, secondary literature and media sources.
The author examines other maritime tragedies in Australian history, comparing the cases mourned by the Australian public with those that escaped public attention. Generally, European victims were mourned while non-European nationalities were ignored. The article also provides insight on why the passengers of SIEV X chose to migrate via irregular channels; many passengers' fathers or husbands had received asylum status in Australia but were not allowed and would never be allowed to bring their family over, according to the national legislation. Thus, irregular migration was seen by many of the SIEV X passengers as the only way to reunite their families. Because of the poor condition of the boat, some would-be passengers refused to board in Indonesia. Some were forced to board at gunpoint by the Indonesian police. The author argues that first the Tampa case (in which shipwrecked asylum seekers were rescued by a Norwegian container ship, the M.V. Tampa, in 2001 and later refused entry into Australian waters), followed by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (one month before the SIEV X sinking) led to an anti-refugee policy stance in Australia. Also, the Temporary Protection Visa, which was introduced in 1999 as a way to deter migrant smuggling, denied refugees many of the rights guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on Refugees, such as family reunion. These are seen as reasons leading up to the SIEV X tragedy and exacerbating the situation of irregular migration.
Although the article provides detailed information about the SIEV X incident, it is not clear whether this provides insight into other cases of irregular migration via sea to Australia or other destinations in the region.
