Sunday, July 13, 2014

Boat People

Refugees arriving in Australia have slowed down considerably since the federal government put measures in place to stop boats actually reaching Australia and transferring the passengers to detainment camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea.  
Most of the boats heading for Australia carrying refugees departing from Indonesia where their passengers have flown from various middle-east war-torn countries.   Most of these people are Muslims and that does stir up some resentment.  I, and people I know, would probably be happier with Asian immigration as most Asians do not practise a confronting religion.  That being said, there are many Australians who don’t want any refugees to come to Australia.  
Recent boats sailing direct from Sri Lanka carried people who are treated badly after the long drawn out insurgency of the Tamil Tigers.  The Sri Lankan government isn’t going to forget the Tamil Tigers and those who were with them any time soon.  Tamils who tried to escape persecution by boat have been jailed on their forced return to Sri Lanka

Australia’s refugee ‘flood’ is minuscule compared to Europe and the U.S..    For example, since last October some 52,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the southern border of the U.S. from places such as Ecuador hoping for a better life.  The U.S. government has had to house these children as it is deemed too dangerous to merely push them back over the border.  Major problem worldwide.

On a major road near my house is a ‘shrine’ to a road accident victim.  It looks very ugly, but I guess if the local government council took it down there would be an outcry from some members of the public.  It has been on the roadside for about three years now.


In the 18th century Samuel Johnson devised a cure for seasickness....hug an Oak tree. Check out Sam here.

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