Ludwig “Of course being held behind razor wire is not dignified.”

I know some of the managements staff previously from Baxter in SA. The TV’s and other fittings which were deliberately destroyed around that detention centre were charged off to the detainees who threw them, although who knows if they ever paid for there abusive behaviour.

Like you rightly said,

“I think we need to get away from the notion that it is oppressive or unnecessarily undignified to hold asylum seekers in detention centres, and just realise the practicalities involved.

So all-considered, I think Australia’s humanitarian treatment of these people has not been too bad over the last decade. It could certainly have been a lot worse, or become a lot worse with a poorer handling of the whole saga.”

Here, Here, Ludwig, we differ on so much but in this we concur.

When I saw a few years ago on TV the rabble of dirty anarchists trying to tear down the razor wire and facilitate the escape from legal internment of illegal entrants to these shores, I realized who else deserves to be locked up.

David BOAZ, I concur with your statement.

I recall the comments made back when Nixon visited China, Apparently Nixon got onto the topic of the right of people to freely migrate and China’s official attitude of non-migration. The official Chinese response was, OK you want refugees, how many do you want 10 million, 20 million?

Nixon did not pursue the offer.

It is all well and good do-gooders tossing around and wearing sackcloth and ashes berating government and the rest of us with their infantile views on the rights of illegal immigrants (OK Marilyn, you say they are “legal” and I say by that by attempting to circumvent the Australian migration laws they are “illegal”). I believe that illegal immigrants are not a special case, they do not deserve to move to “head of the queue” simply because they paid for a boat to get ahead of others who have respected the processes Australia put in place to manage the orderly patronization of refugees.

If I were a GENUINE refugee, I would welcome detention in a safe country. I would NOT be rioting, sewing up mouths, burning, smashing, throwing things.
And were I granted safety of tenure in the safe country, I would not be demanding privileges, breaking every rule, rioting and all the things that we now expect of Multi culture.
I would be glad to live a decent life and join in the life of my good, kind host country

Easy to say from the comfort of your computer desk mickjo

David

“…you are totally neglecting the practical outcome in terms of our sustainable population, social cohesian and political stability, because the ramifications of your position are that we should open our borders to all and sundry.”

“The ONLY rational and ultimately compassionate approach to refugees is one which protects not only them, but us.”

“…no matter WHICH way you look at this issue, there WILL COME A POINT (Yes..shouting) where it becomes neccessary to say "That's it...no more" and no matter how terrible their circumstances, the door will have to remain closed…So, better we make the laws now, than doing it on the run after it's too late.”

yes yes YES!

What a miserable debate, fueled by utter ignorance and parochialism. Gee, Iraqi society collapses through the 1990s under sanctions, corruption (abetted by Australia) and a brutal dictatorship, and a few hundred tragic Iraqis make it all the way to Australia in search of sanctuary. Who'd a thunk it? And what do we do? We look at these wretches, just a rounding error among out of tens of thousands of immigrants coming here every year, and watch them drown, then demonize their dead bodies. Marilyn, I admire your fortitude in fighting the good fight against the moronic commentators here. And Tony Kevin has written a great, compassionate piece, which does a great service in keeping the memory of such tragedy alive.

Thursday, 10 February 2000 SENATE—Legislation L&C 205
LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL

Senator McKIERNAN—I am talking particularly about the boat people. They are the people who arrive on our shores – mainly on Ashmore Islands – and who put their hands up and say, ‘Find me, find me! Take me in.’ They do not use these exact words, but they want to be found. These are not people who are escaping the scrutiny of our Coast Watch people.
Senator Vanstone—Senator, I cannot resist! Perhaps you could tell Mr Beazley that so he does not keep raving on about this silly idea that we need a Coast Guard to locate the people. You at least realise that they want to be found; it would be helpful if your party realised that as well."

I hope this quote from February 2000 by Senator Vanstone is self-explanatory for DB, Ludwig and co.

Ludwig, Israel locks up refugees in as bad conditions as we do but they do get the right to apply for the courts to release them.

As for them being kinder to muslims - who on earth would that be? The 1 million muslim Lebanese people they just bombarded with 15,000 bombing runs, 1 million cluster bombs, phosphorous bombs and the demolition of their entire livelihood for the next 20 years as they planned three years ago?

Or the 3 million Palestinians they have walled in like bugs or are starving to death? Wow, it's nice to know th milk of human kindness abounds but that does not translate to hatred for Israel, just the bad behaviour of some.

And guys - again, it makes no difference what countries might have been closer, this just happened to be the cheapest place to get to.