Better bastardised

Haiku than concealing hate

With semantic games

"Trafficked" into Australia, not smuggled? The terms are used interchangeably in the discussion of importation of drugs. I could say the same about the 'trafficking' involved in the sex trade, in that people are moved illegally from place to place - smuggled - for an illegal purpose either at their place of arrival or departure.

To say that these people are trafficked rather than smuggled is somewhat disingenuous. Sure, they are 'trafficked' as you say, in that their imminent arrival on Australian land territory is announced, however they are smuggled past the Australian ocean borders to get to where their arrival is announced.

Additionally, smuggling involves both a point of departure and arrival. As the Indonesian government is responsible for these people until they have left Indonesian territory, and I would say it is a fair assumption that the smugglers don't ask permission of the Indonesian authorities to depart with these people, they are, in effect, smuggled OUT of Indonesia.

If these people are not being brought onto Australian territory in what Briar Rose considers an illegal method, why are they not simply paying their money to an airline to fly them in? It would be safer, more expedient and of course they could ask for asylum as soon as they land. But we all know that no airline would fly them in, as they would simply have to fly them out.

“Hatred” cheek indeed!
Better baseborn haiku
Than stillborn psych--regress

If those boat people were white farmers fleeing Mugabe's Zimbabwe for their lives, would they be really treated the same way?

Seriously.

Jennifer,

Your attempt at mocking the idea that the human trafficking can be stopped, fails at the first hurdle. It was stopped. It is completely undeniable that the pacific solution worked.

Human traffickers do not transport people across for free, the fee of about $15000 per person is a substantial sum that can feed an Indonesian family for years, and the "refugees" who somehow have that large amount stashed on them are less likely to hand it over if the likely result is at best a TPV and a chunk of time in detention.

Even the Labor government has conceded that boats are a business and they need to work on reducing the attraction of the boat journey.

Rache ,
If,as is often said: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”.
Then, the holier-than-thou charge that your opponents must be racist is the last refuge of the intellectually challenged.

When you can no longer counter their arguments –as is very apparent on this thread–you simply charge them with racism.

Rache,before I answer your quip, a key point: It is very doubtful that current round of boaties are “fleeing …for their lives”, rather, they are running towards a more affluent lifestyle –so it’s not proper parallel.

If you are fleeing for your life you don’t return to the source of your fear as soon as you drop off your bags –have a look at this: http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/08/21/15098766.html.

“ 70% of successful Tamil refugee claimants [returned] to Sri Lanka for vacations, business or to sponsor family members”

Seriously, now, Rache!

But having made that clear, if we were faced with a influx of whites –and if they employed the same degree of subterfuge as the current influx-- I am confident they would also be greeted with the same reception.

How do I know that?
Actually , with a little help from you side of the house. As repeatedly pointed out, the majority of visa over stayers are young white backpackers, and they are --despite their whiteness--eventually all sent packing.

So there you have it Rache –in all seriousness!