Oh boy Luciferase,

Thank you for your re-education reference to the Crikey article. Crikey is a Labor front organisation isn't it?. I read it. It was indeed enlightening. You might like to read it too.

Firstly it seems the propaganda of you labor die-hards is incorrect.

"'The second “successful” return of a boat to Indonesia involved an incident where a child was thrown overboard."

It seems there were many incidents of children being held overboard and it seems it occurred at least once.

The report presents obvious solutions to problems encountered in returning vessels. It seems the threat of publication of the disgraceful behaviour of the PII's (Potential Illegal Immigrants) and their actions actually deterred potential self harm and sabotage and saw the return of these bullying cowards to Indonesia.

'“The situation was serious enough to cause the Warramunga to go to action stations in readiness for a potential safety of life at sea situation, and only resolved when the potential illegal immigrants were shown that they were being videotaped and told that their actions would not assist their case with the Australian government.'

And finally you claimed deaths resulted when vessels were returned. Do you read the correction attached to the end of the Crikey article.

'UPDATE: This article originally said that the Four Corners report alleged that three men had drowned when returning to Indonesia on the SIEV 5. This is incorrect. Four Corners alleged that the three men drowned when the SIEV 7 was returned to Indonesia. The story has been updated, Crikey apologises for the error.'

It seems your truth of facts are based on a since corrected Crikey lie.

Now for some facts you ignore;

John Howards's Pacific Solution saved lives by stopping the boats.

Rudd and Gillard's relaxing and scrapping the Pacific Solution has encouraged boats and lead to deaths.

Only 40% of Illegal Immigrants sent to Nauru actually reached Australia.

Julia Gillard has the numbers in the Lower House to pass her Malaysian Solution. That fact that people like you inhabit the Labor side of Parliament means she cannot pass her legislation.

Number 801 will come up quite quickly. You people don't acknowledge realities. THe people smugglers like any business will overcome impediments to their business.

All they will do is offer a free trip to any PII who is returned to Malaysia and who can return to indonesia.

So now what about some really hard evidence there will be no number 801?

'Why do you think it took more than a dozen SIEV's for the actions of the Australian Navy to take effect?'

Simple, the PII's obviously weren't 'the sharpest tools in the shed' and repeated education was necessary ... that time. This time they will know we are serious.

It's time for you to stop repeating the Labor lies, blaming Tony and John Howard and get realistic Luciferase.

Discussion of this whole issue seems bedevilled as much by the things that are NOT being said, as by those that are.

The author, Duncan Graham, in an essentially unattributable reference in the 12th paragraph of the article, says:

"Press accounts in Australia allege
that corrupt officials in Soekarno-Hatta
were charging $US500 (Rp 4.5 million)
to let individuals without visas through
airport controls."

It seems readers of this article are meant to infer that would-be boat people enter the end-of-the-line Muslim country Indonesia through Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta international airport WITHOUT visas with the aid of corrupt airport control officials for a going price of US $500. This claim seems to be at some variance with one made by Julian Burnside QC, here: http://theconversation.edu.au/if-were-serious-about-stopping-the-boats-we-must-take-more-refugees-4820 , where, in speaking of would-be boat people, he says:

"With your family you make your way
to Indonesia, passing through Muslim
countries which allow free passage
to Muslims, but they do not offer
protection because they have not
signed the Refugees’ Convention."

What is the true position with respect to visa requirements at every step in the chain of passages that ends with an asylum-seeker boarding an illegal entry vessel somewhere in Indonesia that has as its destination Australia or its territorial waters?

The seeming 'free-passage-to-Muslims' aspect of this issue more or less ensures that the overwhelming majority of boat people will in consequence be Muslims. In its turn, this sheds light upon what at the time I thought was the strange opposition, expressed in the critique of the program 'Go back to where you came from', by a young Muslim woman that had grown up in Australia, to the five times more numerous prospective (as we have since learned) apparently non-Muslim beneficiaries aspect of the 'Malaysian solution' swap deal.

Given that the author routinely resides in Indonesia in winter, perhaps he could clarify exactly what the visa requirements in respect of Muslims travelling to, and/or through, Indonesia are?

Any foreign national entering Indonesia requires a passport and a visa, religion does not give an exemption.The boat people usually leave their travel documents with friends or family in Indonesia before boarding boats ; lack of documentation when intercepted virtually guarantees that they will be given the benefit of the doubt and accepted as refugees when processed by Australian officials.

http://www.kbri-canberra.org.au/consular/visa/visas.htm

“Resettlement is the only solution. The only question is where? Home country, or new patron?
Posted by Saltpetre, Wednesday, 28 December 2011 11:59:54 AM”

Saltpetre, how about this, we send them to New Zealand !
If they refuse to accept them, we then in turn, refuse to accept their unemployed !

A “Win Win” situation !

Arthur Bell.

Having just found this I can only say one word - crap.