the heading's a bit of a misnomer...refugees are not necessarily poor...they're escaping persecution...

i agree though and virak ou is right...cambodia can't protect it's own people and not likely to protect refugees...simple test really...

australia is at best naive but in this case more likely cynical...sometimes people think if you throw money at the problem it will disappear...rarely works...

badboybubby wrote:australia is at best naive but in this case more likely cynical...sometimes people think if you throw money at the problem it will disappear...rarely works...

And in Australia, we call those people 'politicians'.

Lets face it, Australia just doesn't want to be a Target for human smugglers. It's lose-lose. Bad PR if its allowed or denied.
The locals will win. World opinion be damned.

So the position of: if you come here, we will put you in a shithole.

Has boat traffic been reduced? Is it working?

I wonder if part of the agreement is that they are given Cambodian passports (Nationality) ? This Nauru place is a very small republic. It used to be one of the richest countries (Per capita) in the world, a few decades ago. Now it is not a place with much potential, I guess.

It was it's self host to an Australian Asylum Seeker detention centre.

IF they are to be given Cambodian passports, the, at least they will be free to move about the region in 2015, following the ASEAN agreements introduction. Is this a bad thing?

These people willingly left their homeland for a better life. The Australians do not wan't them and don't welcome them ( speaking from a Government perspective) Rather than being returned to Nauru, they are or could be given a new life in the region. If the passport is included, it is not IMHO, the worst option available.

Obviously, it would have been nice to see some choice given but they could have just repatriated them, couldn't they ?

Or am I just a dumb pom?

before they came to oz , they were safe in Indonesia, who welcomed them- it is significant they are all of the umma.
they were safe from harm in Indonesia.

so, they are formally accepted into that country.

if a person attempts to enter without a visa into any country in fear for life/ imminent danger can claim refugee status under UNHCR

none of the people in this case can do that- they had already put themselves out of harm's way by landing in Indonesia.

frank lee bent wrote:before they came to oz , they were safe in Indonesia, who welcomed them- it is significant they are all of the umma.
they were safe from harm in Indonesia.

so, they are formally accepted into that country.

if you or i attempted to enter without a visa into any country we could claim imminent danger and be accepted as refugees.

none of the people in this case can do that- they had already put themselves out of harm's way by landing in Indonesia.

Finished!

So they legally can't claim asylum. Very valid point

i wholeheartedly oppose the current policy. we have detained people for years and intentionally neglected to process them under UNHCR.

hole and corner business this.

I think what the Australian government plans to do is awful, but what can be done? I think about the sort of refugees who come, families?, no probably single men. They may have skills that enable them to make a meagre living, if they do not then they are fucked. Talk about strangers in a strange land!
The logistics of this are going to be a nightmare, a detention centre purpose built in the middle of nowhere on some cronies land?
I remember being in Thailand when the Cambodian refugees arrived, the Thais dealt with many brutally until the UN guaranteed funding. Then the camps were built by the Thai Army building company and the camps were located as far as possible from fresh water so the Thai Army water company would make plenty of money.
I am sure the Australian government will be royally screwed.

Milord wrote: So the position of: if you come here, we will put you in a shithole.

Has boat traffic been reduced? Is it working?

Yes the boat traffic has been reduced significantly (as of a month ago when we left) so something is obviously working.

Mrs Stroppy's brother in law is a navy commander, recently promoted off the bridge of his own ship to a desk as part of RANs career advancement. While he was running his own boat out of Darwin they spent almost every hour at sea dealing with illegal boats, including a lot of forced unpaid overtime. As a payer of massive taxes, I deeply resent that. Doesn't contribute to THIS conversation, but I feel better.