30/12/09; Letters, The Daily Telegraph No Internet Text (2 Items)
There are more refugees coming from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan going to all other countries. Look up the figures to Europe for heaven’s sake — they get hundreds of thousands. It is because there are wars going on there, not because of some policy Australia does or does not have (Australia “a magnet” for people smugglers, December 29). About 1000 arrivals in a population of 22 million is nothing to get hysterical about. Dave, Sydney
- Smugglers are OK
I reckon we need loads more boat people (Australia ‘magnet’ for people smugglers, December 29). They have a can-do attitude, and they’ve got nothing. And they don’t whinge half as much as you lot of miserable sods. Chris Sydney
Open the door to refugees
30/12/09; The Sydney Morning Herald
According to international refugee law specialist James Hathaway, there is no law on earth that allowed Kevin Rudd to turn back the Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka or to force them to disembark in Indonesia, which deports Afghans and Iraqis without a hearing, or imprisons them in shocking conditions and sends us the bill. Australia does not have a refugee problem; those fleeing the two wars that we played a role in starting should be automatically accepted by us instead of being intercepted by our cops in a foreign country, because that is a breach of Article 33 of the refugee convention. Marilyn Shepherd, Kensington, SA
- There is a simple solution to the Merak stand-off. All foreign nationals who pay criminals to circumvent immigration laws must be returned to their country of origin. The Tamils prefer to live in squalor while attempting to blackmail their way into Australia. Sorry, not wanted. Judith Fisher, South Geelong, Vic
Tags: Australia, Migrants & Refugees