It’s fortunate that Mr. Kevin lives in Australia where the ‘authorities’ are too weak to require him to explain his scurrilous claim that they “will do their best to make life as unpleasant as possible for the 43 who made it here”.

Despite that tired old Refugee Convention of 1951, and the ‘obligations’ Mr. Kevin mentions, the Australian Government is doing what it is entitled to do and expected to do by the electorate. And, yes, the Indonesian government will probably cooperate with Australia to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Hooray!

Instead of crying all over the place about 43 “refugees” who scuttled out of their country, leaving the rest of the population to suffer whatever it is they are supposed to be suffering, Mr. Kevin and his comrades should be trying to use the cooperation with Indonesia to see what can be done for those Papuans who don’t have the luxury of flight – in their own country.

Tolerating a few lucky asylum seekers who rock up on our shores will not solve the world’s problems. People who constantly whinge about Australia’s border protection policy are crying crocodile tears. What about the majority of people in countries where there are claims of persecution – the ones who cannot run off to Australia or some other country

Some facts about 'West Papuans' or Irian Jayan"

Although as pointed out they are Indonesian nationals, they are culturaly 'melanesian', cousins to people of Papuan New Guinea, the Solomons etc,

The history of the Indonesian 'invasion' of Dutch New Guinea, in the 1960's, reads remarkably like that of the 'take-over' of East Timor.

Given that the western section of the island of New Guinea has mineral deposits equal if not larger that that of PNG, (Porgera, Ok Tedi, Boungainville etc), it is a prize that any nation/corporation would envy.

The transmigration of Javanese into West Irian which started in the 1970s has escalated so that now Javanese numbers are on a par with the Melanesian inhaitants. The number of Indonesian military is quite extraordinary.

Similar in history to many nations invaded by others.

Along with East Timor, Aceh and other smaller nations swallowed by larger more dominant nations, West Irian needs support to gain some form of autonomy, even statehood to protect its natural wealth from being exploited as we saw happen in PNG. (OK Tedi, Boungainville).

Leigh-

1. How is such a claim in any way 'scurrilous'? That the Howard government has gone out of its way to make life for asylum seekers as unpleasant as possible should be blindingly obvious to all but the most blinkered idealogues. Whether or not they are right to do so is a different question altogether.

2. The 'electorate' doesn't have the first idea about refugees. Nor, by and large, do they care. It's easy for the government to throw up its hands and say 'hey, we're only behaving execrably because the voters tell us too', but in reality there's nothing stopping them fulfilling their obligations.

3. I'd take a guess that in other forums Leigh would be proudly trumpeting the Howard governments courage and moral fortitude during the East Timor intervention. Well guess what? This is the same. Most estimates are a 100,000 West Papuans killed by Indonesian security forces since occupation (that's what they're 'supposed to be suffering'). So ditch the crocodile tears for those who couldn't make it out if you can't even be bothered doing some background research.

4. Tolerating asylum seekers won't solve all the world's problems? Really? Geez, thanks for the heads-up, Leigh. Anyway, the people who 'whinge' about border protection are the same people concerned about the suffering of people in countries where there are claims of persecution. Most of us would like to see an end to the Indonesian occupation of West Papua and an end to gutless Australian appeasement of Indonesia. Your 'there are hypothetical people suffering in other countries, so we shouldn't help the people who are suffering right here, right now' argument is, frankly, stupid.

Leigh I really have to correct a few of the false assumptions you've made in your post. I'm undoubtedly right of the centre in most of my views so pleae don't leap on me as a 'bleeding heart lefty' but I think you are so far right that sometimes you lose objectivity.

The West Papuans are an abused, repressed and despondent people. There are no two ways about that. They are as 'Indonesian' as you and I are. In fact they are as culturally, physically and historically different to the Javanese as the Timorese are. Hence they are not queue jumpers as such. For all we know the West Papuan equivalent of Xanana Gusmao may be amongst them- we definitely know there are prominent independence leaders amongst the 50 odd.

Australia's largest mistake is that we continue to recognise West Papua as 'part' of Indonesia- I think this issue should have been tackled simultaneously with East Timor. The Sukarno era territorial boundaries of Indonesia are neither legitimate nor pragmatic. People forget if he'd had his way Malaysia would have been 'Indonesia' too.

Jakarta will never passively allow the independence of West Papua. However Australia has the moral responsibilty to pressure Jakarta to allow West Papua to be 'all but' independent. If this involves granting West Papuans asylum then so be it.

Dare I mention the "Illegals" word, used to great advantage and affect in recent history.

Are the ejaculatte' waiting for Howard to drop his hanky??

What a joke.

Your assumptions and analysis of the situation are floored and this takes the focus off your campaign.

I feel we should have sympathy for these people, but we are living in an age where in our lifetime some Pacific Islands may vanish due to rising water, combined with the oppressed nature of our neighbours to the north, we very quickly can degradate our society.

Multiculturalism has had its recent ups and downs in Australia and accepting refugees in Australia is something we must be very careful about.

To make you out there feel better for refugees, for every boat stopped, scores get through anyway. Just ask the coastguard.

Australia's refugees are just like indonesia and drugs, in a drug mecca if you do not keep the hard line you are inviting it, and without fear of consequences people in those circumstances will not question the decision.

I dont want Indonesians, Papuans and the like similar to the US and Cuba. If you run the gauntlet and make the shore you get the status.
What will that encourage.

Be fair and reasonable everyone, we need to at least check these people, check the situation before jumping the gun. What about quarantine etc? i would rather a chrissy island disease outbreak than a Weipa one, for instance.