A thought-provoking and important piece especially in this week of Bali Bombing II.

We memorialise those we want to remember, and forget about those we don’t. Cowra shows we can honourably memorialize our former enemies. Of course, the deaths of 353 asylum-seekers who drowned at sea on their way from Indonesia to Australia – who were not our enemies - left no physical remains and no ruins. All we have are the video and audio records of the grief of the broken-hearted survivors, a few precious photographs and other personal mementoes , and the memories that the bereaved families have of their loved ones.

That is why we Australians must, in decency and honour, construct permanent physical memorials in Australia to the 353 who drowned so cruelly on SIEV X on 19 October 2001. We have to honour these dead because they were on the last leg of their long and arduous journey to seek permanent refuge with their families in Australia. They are our tragedy, and we must own them.

A major memorial event is planned in Canberra on 19 October 2005. Details are on the first URL below, http://sievxmemorial.com/

Further relevant information is on these independent URLs:

http://sievxmemorial.com/

http://sievxmemorial.org/

http://www.sievx.com/ [Marg Hutton's authoritative website]

http://www.tonykevin.com/SIEVXNatMemCan.html [my website of record]

Tony Kevin , Canberra.