Actually, otb, I must apologise for the 2002 article (I didn't check the date)

Far from trawling the net, I happened upon this article linked to on twitter:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/swiss-introduce-apartheidlike-restrictions-local-authorities-ban-asylum-seekers-from-public-places-8750765.html

...and I thought the other article must be a follow on.

The above article is dated 7 Aug 2013

(Silly me - I was endeavouring to find more on the story and to confirm it wasn't a beat-up.....perhaps I should have stuck with original linked article to start with....live and learn)

@Lexi,

<<The Daily Telegraph (is bias) yada yada yada >>

It is highly amusing to hear someone who has just (in a Big type confessional) told us her main sources were:<< Antony Loewenstein,Julian Burnside, Ian Macauley, Margot Kingston>> whine about someones else's bias --but I guess we get all types here.

The Telegraph for all its headlines is a lot less bias than the ABC who are at it, ever hour of the day. I even heard one reporter on RN yesterday morning get so carried away he was calling Abbot's economic policy a "magic puddling", repeating verbatim Govt slogans. Another a while back, was going on about: "the hysteria around the carbon tax "not as a quote mind you, but her own description.

But I guess anyone who confined their readings to << Antony Loewenstein,Julian Burnside, Ian Macauley, Margot Kingston>> and like "thinkers" would find nothing untoward in that!

Dear SPQR,

Great try!

JOM,
I don't agree with your opinion of why Aussies have little sympathy for illegal boat people.

It is simply because we do not like being taken for fools. We know they fly most of the way and bribe corrupt officials and have false papers and so on. We are well aware that they pay far more than the commercial fare to enter Aus via the back fence and call our emergency services if they have problems. On top of that they then dispose of their identity papers and lie to our officials.

In short that is no way to curry favour and we do not like to be conned. Aussies have every right to believe the illegals are shonks

Banjo,

That is a fair summation.

I would add that taxpayers don't like to be taken for a ride for hundreds of $$millions annually by the shonks in professions who make a tidy living out of representing them either.

The boat arrivals problem starts in Australia:

- the Ruddy mistake that was made overturning the Howard arrangements; and,

- an appeals system that has created a lucrative (victim) industry for some professionals.

The decisions of the Department of Immigration (and advised by the Dept of Foreign Affairs) should be final, as in Denmark. No appeals.

In Indonesia according to the Government a lot of Iranians are getting there money back from the smugglers and going back home to Iran, Now if they were real refugees they would be going to another safe country but NO they go back to Iran THAT EQUALS they were Economic Invaders not refugees.

Any one want to bet most that were accessed as refugees were exactly the same ECONOMIC INVADERS the whole assessment process is a joke.

Government should have only issued TEMPORARY Protection visas only so we could have got rid of them.