Terminology used to describe boat people

Letter To All Editors/Producers
24 April 2003

Dear Sir/Madam

Some media reports continue to label people aboard the two boats from Vietnam in the Indonesian archipelago as refugees and asylum seekers.

According to the 1951 Refugees Convention, a refugee is a person who "… owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".

There is no reason to assume automatically that because people are in a boat in regional waters, reportedly heading for Australia, that they are refugees or in fact even seeking asylum here.

This sort of movement can be undertaken for a variety of motives and reasons. Automatically labelling such people as refugees creates an environment that encourages simplistic judgments about complex issues and devalues the term "refugee".

We would encourage media outlets not to use the label "refugee" or even "asylum seeker" in relation to the people on the two boats in question from Vietnam until it is clearly established that these descriptions are appropriate.

Jenny Hoskin
Deputy Director
Public Affairs
DIMIA