Coroner & Legal
Is it illegal to turn back boats in international waters to Indonesia?
Indonesian politician Tantowi Yahya was asked on Lateline whether he believed that “the policy of turning back these boats in international waters is legal or illegal in international law”.
Mr Yahya, a Golkar Party member of the Indonesian People’s Representative Council, said: “It’s illegal”.
ABC Fact Check examines whether international law allows the Coalition Government to turn back asylum seeker boats.
The issue is likely to come up next week when Prime Minister Tony Abbott meets Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta. The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has warned that Jakarta “cannot accept any Australian policy that would, in nature, violate Indonesia’s sovereignty”.
Read more here, including The Verdict