Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel
Encyclopedia
Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel is the operational term used by the Australian Defence Force
and Australian Coastwatch
for maritime vessels which appear to be attempting to reach Australia clandestinely without authorisation
. These boats are almost exclusively carrying asylum seekers
who have departed from Indonesia
on the final leg of a journey which started in countries such as Iraq
and Afghanistan
and Sri Lanka
after paying "people smugglers". During Operation Relex
, 12 SIEVs were intercepted. Four were forced back to Indonesia, and three sank.
SIEVs are given numerical designations. The vessel involved in the children overboard affair
was the SIEV-4. The vessel that sank in 2001, killing 353 asylum seekers (mostly women and children) was first designated by the press as SIEV X (While SIEV-X is a temporary designation used by Coastwatch, the SIEV-X often referred to in the press was not detected prior to sinking and so was not issued any designation, X or otherwise).
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
and Australian Coastwatch
Australian Coastwatch
Coastwatch was a Division of the Australian Customs Service, which is an agency of the Australian Federal Government, with its headquarters based in Canberra, Australia...
for maritime vessels which appear to be attempting to reach Australia clandestinely without authorisation
Unauthorised arrival
An unauthorised arrival is a person who has arrived in a country when they are not a citizen of that country and does not have a valid visa or does not satisfy other required conditions for entry to that country....
. These boats are almost exclusively carrying asylum seekers
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
who have departed from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on the final leg of a journey which started in countries such as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
after paying "people smugglers". During Operation Relex
Operation Relex
Operation Relex is the name given to the Australian Defence Force border protection operation in the country's northern approaches conducted between 2001 and 2006. The operation was instigated following the Tampa affair in September 2001 and its focus was on illegal immigration...
, 12 SIEVs were intercepted. Four were forced back to Indonesia, and three sank.
SIEVs are given numerical designations. The vessel involved in the children overboard affair
Children overboard affair
The Children Overboard affair was an Australian political controversy involving public allegations by Howard government ministers in October 2001, in the lead-up to a federal election, that sea-faring asylum seekers had thrown children overboard in a presumed ploy to secure rescue and passage to...
was the SIEV-4. The vessel that sank in 2001, killing 353 asylum seekers (mostly women and children) was first designated by the press as SIEV X (While SIEV-X is a temporary designation used by Coastwatch, the SIEV-X often referred to in the press was not detected prior to sinking and so was not issued any designation, X or otherwise).
List of notable SIEVs
- SIEV-4 - the vessel involved in the children overboard affair, reached Christmas Island on 6 October 2001 with 223 passengers.
- SIEV-5 - reached Ashmore Reef on 12 October 2001 with 242 passengers.
- SIEV-6 - reached Christmas Island on 18 October 2001 with 227 passengers.
- SIEV-7 - reached Ashmore Reef on 22 October 2001 with 233 passengers.
- SIEV-X - sank on 19 October 2001 with 421 passengers, killing 353. This boat was not an official SIEV, as it had not been detected by Australian authorities.
- SIEV-36Siev 36SIEV-36 was a boat from Indonesia carrying 47 apparently Afghan asylum seekers and two Indonesian crew members. The vessel exploded and sank near Ashmore Reef, Australia in the early morning of 16 April 2009, shortly after being intercepted by an Australian patrol boat...
- exploded and caught fire on 16 April 2009. The boat was carrying 47 passengers and two Indonesian crew. Three occupants were killed, and two more are missing. Five of the six navy personnel on board were injured. - SIEV-221 - shipwrecked on cliffs at Christmas IslandChristmas Island boat disasterOn 15 December 2010, a boat carrying around 90 asylum seekers sank off the coast of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 30 people aboard; 42 survivors have been recovered. The boat was later named SIEV-221.-Incident:...
on 15 December 2010, 44 survivors from an estimated 90-100 passengers.