Yabby: "That is very sweet of you Rstuart."

So nice of you to say so.

Yabby: "The Indonesians are not stopping the people from getting off the boat."

I look at it like this, Yabby. If the Viking King were moored at Christmas Island the refugees would be frog marched off. They aren't being frog marched off now because Indonesia says we can't. Well OK, they say we can't unless the refugees agree. But given that the refugees have been complaining of being beaten and drinking faeces laden water in Indonesia and they know that in Australia they would get equivalent of 3 star hotel accommodation, methinks the Indonesians knew this was the equivalent of saying no.

The refugees must of thought all their Christmases had come at once. They went from being stuck in some sh!t hole in Indonesia, to thinking they had blown their life savings on a boat with dud steering, to be being virtually guaranteed asylum in Australia. All because the vaguarities of international politics. What a ride.

In a statement posted online after talks with his Australian counterpart, Chris Evans, the New Zealand Immigration Minister, Dr Jonathan Coleman said: "The New Zealand Government does not believe that an ad hoc approach to dealing with individual cases like the Oceanic Viking will send the right message." Recent polls indicate that the Australian public agrees.

*If the Viking King were moored at Christmas Island the refugees would be frog marched off*

You look at it wrongly rstuart. Firstly I thought the name of the
boat was the "Ocean Viking", so you are clearly not paying attention
to details here. Secondly, everyone knows that the press if filming
and the the Australian Govt is promoting their "humane approach". That
would hardly be the case, if they were frog marching people around,
in front of the cameras.

*But given that the refugees have been complaining of being beaten*

The refugees complained about their treatment on the Ocean Viking
too, by the Aussie crew.

*They went from being stuck in some sh!t hole in Indonesia,*

rstuart, hundreds of millions of Indonesians live in what you call
"sh!tholes in Indonesia". Should they all claim refuge in Australia
now?

I remind you that most Tamils, ie those without money behind them,
either stayed in Sri Lanka or went 35km across to India.

*to be being virtually guaranteed asylum in Australia. All because the vaguarities of international politics. What a ride.*

The evidence points to it indeed being a clever ploy! Satelite
phone handy when required, holes drilled in the boat, they don't
ring Indonesia close by, but the Australian Maritime Authrority etc.
Sounds to me like one of the smugglers who was paid by them,
understands his politics.

You of course, heart on your sleeve, focus on the 78. Me,
I think about the ramifications on other boats that are really
sinking, the fact that Australia was blackmailed, ie the bigger
picture. Next time some boats are in trouble, the Australians
might not go to their rescue in a hurry.

Your emotional engulfment is clear rstuart, but that is hardly
intelligent.

Yabby: "Firstly I thought the name of the boat was the "Ocean Viking""

Since we are being picky it is the "Oceanic Viking".

Yabby: "You of course, heart on your sleeve, focus on the 78."

It is you who are making all sorts of pronouncements on what should happen to them, based purely on sensationalised newspaper reports. You seem to be very keen to appoint yourself judge, jury and executioner of these 78.

My position has always they should be handled without our existing rules and laws. Unlike you I am perfectly happy to trust our bureaucrats to do a thorough investigation and make a fair determinations according as they are now.

Why is this? Because it is the laws that matter. Australia is a nation that strongly believes in the rule of law, and will try to follow the law regardless of how many Yabby's are yapping noisily in the background. Whatever you may say, as far as I can tell the behaviour of these 78 isn't unreasonable under the UNHCR, as the UNHCR makes the assumption these people are running for their lives and thus are allowed to break a few eggs on the way. While we remain signatories to the UNHCR, we are fairly constrained in how we can handle them.

So give up focusing on these 78 Yabby. Instead read the UNHCR handbook, and look at the lay of the political land between us and Indonesia and then decide what we should do. Not about these 78 - they are a lost cause as we can't change the laws retrospectively, but about those that might follow them. Right now the 78 have done a much better job of this of you and thus have completely outflanked you. As a consequence, if you look at what we have offered them to get off the boat, it seems their wildest dreams have come true.

Hell,I want to know why the same rules dont apply to all peoples from all over the world regardless who they are and from where they come.

I know professional people, eg doctors accountants and physiotherapists from South Africa waited 3 years to be called up for their immigration suitability tests. Each was given an argumentative essay to write, a tough comprehension test, listening to a pre-recorded CD and asked to make answers and then a face to face oral interview of 1/2 hr duration and then they had another year to get clearance. How many of these Sri Lankans would pass these requirements I wonder. Dont you?
We shouldnt discriminate against those who fully qualify in such a rude and blatant manner.
After all, who would have more to offer our country?

socratease

Good point, Socratease

Tell your friends they shouldn’t have gone to all the bother of earning degrees and learning English,as that’s all old hat now –now, all they need do is board any OZ ship in the nearest harbor and refuse to leave till they get a promise of OZ citizenship.

I have heard that the refugee coaching schools in the South Asia have already added an additional subject, along with such core subjects as i) How to dispose of papers, and ii) How to manipulate the media, they now have a subject called iii) How to hijack a ship ( & hold a nation to ransom).