Category: Australia

Australia: working all the angles to get in

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is an informative piece from Australia a country which is going through some serious national soul searching about that ship being held at sea with 70 plus Sri Lankan (maybe Tamil Tigers) “refugees” on board, at least I think the standoff is continuing.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

On a trip to Pakistan earlier this year, I was amazed at how sophisticated the knowledge of Western migration rules was among the locals. One postgraduate student regaled me with the minute details of the Canadian points system, which he felt was more relaxed than Australia’s.

A taxi driver lamented the growing barriers to entering Britain, which was once seen as a relatively easy option. A considerable number asked about gaining entry by claiming political asylum. Australia was universally seen as highly desirable but difficult to enter. New Zealand was often seen as the gateway country.

It is a pattern is likely to be repeated throughout Asia and an indication of how desperate many people are to reach the developed world. It’s also an indication that as soon as there is a perception of a weak spot in the migration rules, you can bet knowledge of it spreads like wildfire.

The two biggest news stories relating to immigration this year relate to international students and asylum seekers.

Check out the many angles the desparate are using to get into a first world country, but place this scary prospect in the back of your mind as the Copenhagan global warming conference approaches.

If even modest predictions regarding climate change come to light, the debate over what constitutes an environmental refugee will also heat up, possibly further extending the category.

Environmental refugees!  Ahhhhhh!

Australia: Debate rages over Muslim ‘ethnic enclaves’

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is a short news film (click on ‘ethnic enclaves’) from Australia (hat tip: BL) that attempts to give both sides of a debate that began when a former immigration minister charged that Muslims are not assimilating in Australia.   As BL pointed out to me, the film demonstrates a growing problem and controversy in Australia where Muslim immigration is on the rise.  

The former immigration minister, Kevin Andrews, says the lack of assimilation by Muslims must be discussed openly and sounds quite reasonable.  Meanwhile a university professor expressing support for Muslims calls those questioning the ethnic enclaves “rednecks” and “those dog whistle people” .  I would have to go back and listen again, but I didn’t hear Mr. Andrews use any pejorative terms.  Typical Leftist strategy—demonize the opposition rather than counter with arguments.

Vancouver Update: Ship tied to terrorist Tamil Tigers

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Sri Lankan ship that landed in British Columbia three weeks ago (here) has been tied to the Tamil Tigers.  The Canadian government says it will deport all those on board who are found to be connected to the terrorist group. 

From AFP:

VANCOUVER, Canada — Several of a group of 76 Sri Lankan asylum seekers picked up off the Canadian coast last month have ties to the Tamil Tiger rebels and could pose a security risk, officials said Tuesday.

The Canadian government told an immigration hearing that the “Ocean Lady” freighter used to transport the migrants has been linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), panel spokeswoman Paula Faber told AFP.

The vessel had “possibly been used for arms shipments” and the men should continue to be detained “on national security grounds,” government officials told the hearing, according to Faber.

Tests showed two of the men detained had explosive residue on their clothes, the officials said.

Similar ships with would-be asylum seekers have arrived in Australian waters, see our category on Australia for those stories.

Sri Lankan official warns Australia not to let Tamils in

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update November 5th:  If you object to letting in the boat people you are “xenophobic” so says Australian immigration activist Julian Burnside, here.

The headline to this story is all about a fear that the Australian government might put “chillis” in the food of illegal aliens (aka asylum seekers) occupying an Australian ship in a standoff now 3 weeks old.   Titled, “Chilli weapon ruled out in asylum seeker boat standoff,”  I thought the story should more appropriately be titled as I have it above.   Incidentally I came across this story after reporting on the “boat people” that Indonesia is sick of,  here.

CHILLIS and water rationing will not be used to force 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers off an Australian Customs ship stuck in a standoff in Indonesia.

Officials denied they would tamper with the asylum seekers’ food to help break their resolve, despite claims by refugee advocates the chilli solution had been used before.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia was prepared to play a waiting game as the saga entered its 12th day.

The Oceanic Viking remains anchored 10 nautical miles off Indonesia’s Bintan Island as the Federal Government attempts to navigate around a diplomatic stumble that saw local officials refusing to allow the Sri Lankans to land, and a vow by the asylum seekers to remain on the ship.

Many have started a hunger strike.

Mr Rudd has not ruled out using force to get them off the ship, but suggested the patience of Indonesia and Australia would win out.

“Indonesia has an abundance of patience in handling these matters. Australia also has great patience in handling these complex matters,” he told Parliament.

Mr Rudd also ruled out cash incentives to persuade the Sri Lankans to end their protest and disembark.

In my view the above is your typical leftwing reporting.  The charge that the government would fool with the food of the illegal aliens puts the government on the defensive right off the bat making the illegals more sympathetic characters.  In the meantime, the part of this story that should have been highlighted is that a high level Sri Lankan official is telling the Australian government not to set a precedent, let these Tamils in and possibly open a floodgate to more.  He also says they pose a threat to Australia.   The UK and the US have both designated the Tamil Tigers a terrorist group, although it isn’t clear from this report whether it has been confirmed that Tamil Tigers are on board.

With no end in sight to the standoff, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia warned the group represented a security threat.

“They pose a threat to peace and security of Australia,” Mr Senaka Walgampaya said.

There are more than 250,000 people in camps in Sri Lanka as a result of a 20-year civil war that ended this year.

Mr Walgampaya rejects claims Tamils in Sri Lanka are being persecuted.

I first mentioned this story here, but I had no idea this has been going on for 3 weeks.

Wasn’t it only a few days ago that I reported that the EU wanted to emulate Australian immigration policies and practices, here.

Indonesia: We’ve had it with all these asylum seekers

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Indonesian government is making it very clear they cannot afford to keep all the illegal aliens (aka asylum seekers) landing on their shores or being apprehended in their waters.   They want the UN and Australia to do something about it. 

Meanwhile, remember all those Muslim Rohingya boatmen that brought worldwide attention when the Thai government was accused of towing their boats back to sea, those who landed in Indonesia have been given refugee status by the UNHCR and are ready for resettlement in the West.

From the Jakarta Post:

The government said Thursday it would demand a time line of how long the 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers, on board an Australian vessel in Riau province, would stay in Indonesia once their statuses have been finalized.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Indonesia could not afford to let the boat people, who wish to go to Australia, stay in its territory for an indefinite period of time, as has been the case in the past.

“What would we do to them if they are not classified as refugees? And what would we do if they are? This has to be clear.”

Indonesia is struggling to cope with the rising number of illegal immigrants intercepted in its waters while making the perilous journey to its more prosperous southern neighbor.

The 78 Sri Lankans are only one group of people currently seeking asylum in Australia.

Another 255 Sri Lankans are refusing to get off a wooden boat at Merak Port, Banten, and their status remains unclear.

Reports in Australia have cited 66 incidents of interception in Indonesian waters this year, resulting in arrests of 1,642 illegal immigrants bound for Australia.

Many have become stateless, living in immigration detention facilities or shelters run by the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar who were found adrift off the coast of Aceh early this year were granted refugee status by the UNHCR, but have not yet been sent to any third countries willing to accept them. Dozens have reportedly escaped from their facilities.

Sounds like a few have other motives than a chance at a good life in the West.

By the way, Indonesia is a Muslim country.  I thought the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told us that Muslims welcome the stranger!