Insight: Tampa asylum seekers 10 years on

Insight reunited some of the resettled refugees who were on board the Tampa and found out what their lives are like now.

An Australian navy boat travels across the water with a large container ship in the background.

Source: Dita Alangkara

Ten years ago, hundreds of asylum seekers left Indonesia bound for Australia.

Their journey took an unexpected turn when their fishing vessel hit mechanical trouble and they were rescued by the Norwegian freighter, the Tampa.

They then found themselves at the centre of a diplomatic stand-off which made headlines around the world.

The latest Insight forum reunited some of the resettled refugees and found out what's happened over the last decade, and what their lives are like now.

Then asylum-seekers Mohammad Ali Amiri and Wahid Akbari confronted critics in the audience about their decision to leave Afghanistan for Australia.

"Actually, myself I didn't know where Australia located, one. Second, when we arrived in Jakarta which is, the smuggler, the one who taking us, we just ask them to take us somewhere safe. A humanitarian country which is giving you a safe place to live" said Ali Amiri, who now works 80 - 85 hours a week in the hospitality and fashion industry.

"Life was not safe in Afghanistan," said Akbari. "Life is not safe in Afghanistan now as well. The situation that we're seeing on the TV is totally different to the inside story."

Wahid Akbari was among a select few who were accepted for settlement in New Zealand after being detained in Nauru.

Former New Zealand public servant Julie Sutherland recalled meeting Akbari who was a teenager at the time. "They were quite malnourished, a lot of them are psychologically damaged by what they've actually just experienced back in their home countries about seeing family members die."

Assadullah Nazari, who also settled in New Zealand said the worst part of the ordeal was leaving family behind. She thanked the New Zealand government for helping her start life anew.

"I was treated well. When we went to Manjeri camp, the place that we were there for six weeks, they had a special class to learn English and they had doctor, they had the guides to guide us, tell us about New Zealand or teach us proper English because none of us was speaking English"

Some who were on-board Tampa ten years ago told of how they were eventually reunited with family. But Mohammad Ali Amiri is still searching for his wife and child.

"I have no idea where they are and this is a painful for me to face but is the reality of life. Like my son now could be 12 years old and I have no idea how he looks and where he is... but I still feel positive."


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world