We reported to you the other day that a Somali refugee injured two pilots during a flight in New Zealand at the end of last week. We are happy to report that the pilots are fine and have been released from the hospital.
However, the incident has caused much public debate about refugees generally. One concern comes from the pro-refugee camp which doesn’t want a backlash to result against the whopping 750 refugees a year that enter New Zealand. By way of contrast, the US is taking 70,000 this year.
Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter met Somali community members around the country to assure New Zealanders will not judge them. He says some of the people he spoke to at a meeting in Christchurch had been yelled at by youths in a car.
The other issue that came out of the knifing incident is that a recommendation is now being made that all refugees receive mental health screening before entering New Zealand, not to stop their entry, just to find out who will need taxpayer funded mental health treatment.
Refugees will soon be screened for mental health problems before they get to New Zealand in an effort to reduce the chance of “surprises” such as last week’s attempted aircraft hijacking by a Somali woman.
And, finally there will likely be stepped up security for in-country flights.