Mystery of how vessel was lost
Patrick Walters
Australian
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Defence sources have queried John Howard's claim that the asylum-seeker vessel SIEV 4 sank as a result of deliberate sabotage by those on board.
Experts familiar with the SIEV 4 case say it is impossible to be certain about the cause of the sinking of the vessel that became famous as the centrepiece of the children overboard affair. "It's a subjective judgment.
SIEV 4's longevity as a seaworthy platform was suspect," one source observed yesterday. The Prime Minister told The Australian in an interview that asylum-seekers "sank the damn boat", adding that they deserved no apology from the Government. But senior Defence sources say it is impossible to be definitive about what caused SIEV 4 to founder.
feb 28, 2006
Patrick Walters
Australian
_______
Defence sources have queried John Howard's claim that the asylum-seeker vessel SIEV 4 sank as a result of deliberate sabotage by those on board.
Experts familiar with the SIEV 4 case say it is impossible to be certain about the cause of the sinking of the vessel that became famous as the centrepiece of the children overboard affair. "It's a subjective judgment.
SIEV 4's longevity as a seaworthy platform was suspect," one source observed yesterday. The Prime Minister told The Australian in an interview that asylum-seekers "sank the damn boat", adding that they deserved no apology from the Government. But senior Defence sources say it is impossible to be definitive about what caused SIEV 4 to founder.
feb 28, 2006
