Nomophilia and Bia: The Love of Law and the Question of Violence

On the 26th of August 2001 a 20 metre wooden fishing boat was sinking in the Indian Ocean about 140 kilometres north of Christmas Island. During this time the Norwegian container ship, the MV Tampa, was in the vicinity, on its way from Fremantle to Singapore. At about 5pm that afternoon Captain Arne Rinnan received a call from Australian authorities asking him to rescue a ship in distress. He rescued 438 people from the sinking vessel. (1) It would seem that disaster had been averted. The MV Tampa began to set sail for Indonesia. The captain was forced to turn back and head towards Christmas Island when several of the people on board objected and threatened to commit suicide if he did not change course. When the MV Tampa was close to Christmas Island but outside Australian territorial waters, Captain Rinnan was asked by the Australian authorities to change course for Indonesia. The administrator of Christmas Island was asked to ensure that no Australian vessel went out to the Tampa. The port of Christmas Island was closed. Movements to and from the cove were prohibited. (2) Australia's gates were being shut.