Miqati Urges All Sides against Exploiting Asylum-Seekers Disaster for Political Gain
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati slammed in Tuesday critics who accused the government of neglecting the sinking of the asylum-seekers boat last week, saying that it has been dealing with this issue away from the media spotlight.
The premiership said in a statement: “It is unfortunate that some politicians are exploiting this issue for political gain instead of restricting it to its humanitarian aspects out of respect for the dead.”
“The government has been dealing with this disaster from a humanitarian perspective,” it added.
Moreover, it has been following up on the issue the minute the news of the tragedy broke out.
The Lebanese government has been intensifying its contacts with Indonesian authorities in order to resolve this issue and all of its complications.
The government with all of its agencies has monitored the humanitarian issue through the Lebanese Charge d'Affaires in Indonesia Joanna Qazzi and Lebanon's Ambassador to Malaysia Ali Daher.
The Lebanese embassy has catered to the needs of the 18 survivors of the sinking, granting them lodging at a hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The government has paid for all of their daily needs, adding that the it will ensure the safe return to Lebanon of some 30 Lebanese asylum-seekers present in Indonesia who were seeking to sail to Australia.
As for the corpses of the victims, DNA tests are underway on the bodies and with the relatives of the victims to identify them.
The test results are expected to be released in around a month, explained the statement.
DNA tests are necessary because of the decomposition and bloating of the corpses in the sea, it said.
Twenty-eight Lebanese asylum-seekers drowned in a boat sinking off Indonesia on Friday as they sought to sail to Australia.
Many more are still feared missing.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said there were 68 Lebanese, including children, on board the ill-fated vessel and that 18 survived the ordeal while at least 29 were still missing.
Most of them hail from Akkar where thousands of Syrians have sought refuge from the 30-month that has wracked their country.
Media reports said that the asylum-seekers were the victims of people smugglers who prey on them and Syrian refugees seeking to better their lives.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/100404 |