Blog 2: The Next Challenge

Leaving a thick trail of oily diesel smoke across the polished sea, our noisy boat continued to violate nature's serenity as it stumbled toward a wooden dock. At last, after exhausting days and nights hopelessly waiting for a miracle, the boat finally arrived at Darwin, located in the central Northern tip of Australia. I would never have believed until now that I would actually be standing here in this charming country in which I could call home. People screamed in overwhelming joy, and children rushed towards the deck hoping to fill their stomachs after days without food.

But suddenly, Royal Australian Navy personnel who had served on border protection approached us. They informed us that they had the difficult job alongside government attorneys of determining which of these Vietnamese 'boat people' would qualify for refugee status and possible resettlement in Australia. My heart sank. We had risked everything in the belief that our new lives would begin in Australia. We had already passed the difficult test of getting to Darwin. We had rolled the dice on a dangerous ocean voyage and won. It is evident in the included newspaper article published by 'The Age' in 2009 (Source B) that despite all adversity we persevered, and it didn't matter to the Australia government one bit because in their eyes we were the intruders who were not worthy to seek refuge in their country. Even though they encouraged the welcoming of all Vietnamese affected by war, it was the Fraser government who began the false divide between the 'unauthorised' arrivals of asylum seekers by boat and 'legitimate' refugees who came by plane or where in overseas camps. Those unable to prove themselves political refugees under the Australian government definition, or with no close relatives in Australia to sponsor them, faced a bleak future. 

After our briefing, a security truck, with red lights flashing, led our jeep to a nearby shelter. It was here where the serious business of casting fates was being conducted. A government representative, in this case an attorney, interviewed each person who arrived, soon determining whether an applicant's qualifications for resettlement could be met. That crucial decision made all the difference for thousands of people. Since the Vietnamese war, increasing numbers of applicants were found to be economic migrants, technically not refugees, and therefore they did not qualify for resettlement in Australia. The interview sometimes lasted for more than an hour. Sixty percent of the time, the decision made was unfavourable because we were classified as 'queue jumpers'.


-Helen Huynh