Lucyface,

An Indonesian politician is hardly a legal heavy weight.

Treat it as an invasion and take the appropriate action. Sink the bludgers.

SM,

"Australia has the full right to interdict and turn around boats in the contiguous zone which is 24Nm from the coast and tow them back to the edge of Indonesian waters...."

Except this govt reckons it never had a tow back policy (Lol!)- and doesn't have one now.

What do they intend to do once they have intercepted and "turned" the boats around?

Get everyone up on deck and tell them to blow really hard?

P,

Such a pity that you suffer from illiteracy. So I will use small words.

The policy of turning back the boats includes tow backs, but not consist solely of towing back the boats as the left whingers would like to pretend.

The debate with Lucyface was with respect to the legitimacy of towing the boats back, which has various levels of legality depending on how far one is from the coast. From being completely uncontested in the contiguous zone, to permitted under certain circumstances (such as human trafficking) on the high seas.

SM,

"The policy of turning back the boats includes tow backs, but not consist solely of towing back the boats as the left whingers would like to pretend."

The present government have told us (recently) that they do not and never have had a policy of tow back.

Of course, that is a load of old cobblers....

But haven't you been quite enthusiastic lately in attempting to prove to me that Abbott, et all never mentioned "tow backs" in order to prove that their latest bunkum is true?

Now you're saying the above.

(Small words for you)

Which is it?

SM,

Here the point is made that Abbott and Co are splitting hairs on the semantics of "turn back" - "tow back"....and, incidentally, makes the same point as I have been making that the Coalition has been quite happy to be interviewed on "tow back" without objecting to the term - and even agreeing with the interviewer.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-10/abbott-splitting-hairs-on-tow-turn-difference/4994592

I happen to think you are right, and that "tow back" remains on the agenda - and that Abbott and Morrison are lying and attempting to rewrite their policy for media and Indonesian consumption.