Yesterday, I posted on immigration. Some might wonder at my attitude, so I thought I’d give you some examples from my experience as a departmental officer for immigration here in Australia.
The first, most heartbreaking case, was that of an asylum seeker from Bosnia during the conflict there. He did all the right things, applied through our embassy, gave his correct name, address, names of those who could vouch that yes, he was being persecuted. And he waited. And he waited and waited. Soon enough, the embassy sent him confirmation that not only had he been granted refugee status, but he would, in three days time, board a plane that would take him to Australia.
This guy was so happy, so relieved, that he went to church and gave thanks. And that is where he died when the building was mortared by the Serbs.
Second case, a family from Vietnam who paid people smugglers thousands of dollars to see them to Australia. They are immediately incarcerated in a detention centre until their identities and bona fides are confirmed. They had no papers, nothing to tell authorities who they are, but are adamant that if returned, they will be persecuted.
As it turns out, they lied: false names, false addresses, false informants who could testify. What they wanted was a better life; so called ‘economic refugees’. No country accepts economic refugees, it is up to the individual to find a way to improve their own lives, in their own country.
The family appealed, was rejected, appealed again, was rejected, had a final appeal and again were rejected. Then, they went to the media, pleading their case that they were poor, with no hope of ever getting out of poverty if they were returned. That they would be persecuted. The very fact that they went to the media guaranteed Ministerial granting of their application.
Can anyone else see the problems?
If they were so poor, how did they afford the people smuggler? If they were to be persecuted, why not give true names, true information to prove their bona fides? They weren’t poor, or persecuted, the lying fucks. And the Minister’s behaviour was as reprehensible as it was atypical.
How is it that a legitimate refugee dies before he can come here, and liars and cheats are allowed to cue jump and worse, get the Australian people to pay their legal fees at the same time?
Is it any wonder that the overwhelming majority of Australians, no matter what the poll, keep supporting John Howard’s strict immigration policy?
The bleeding hearts would have us close down our detention centres and open our borders. Well, they’re not so pristine themselves.
Every Easter (until this year when Baxter detention centre closed) the great unwashed would head out and protest outside the gates about the treatment of the refugees inside. (See yesterday’s post.) Australia does not detain refugees, it detains illegal entrants and asylum seekers until their statuses are determined.
One particular Easter, the protesters managed to break through the fence and release some of the detainees. There was much cheering and jeering at authorities over this triumph. Some of the protesters smuggled the inmates away.
Fine, the getaway worked. But once it had, the getaway drivers had no idea what to do. Some of the detainees were dropped off at the nearest town, others in the desert, only a handful made it to Adelaide where they were later recaptured. Why? They had no English, no food, no money, no accommodation. Most were damn pleased to be back in detention.
To this day, the behaviour of those protesters and the illegal immigrants/asylum seekers pisses me off. For the protesters, it was a lack of responsibility to those they helped escape, the stupid pricks. For the illegal entrants, if you break our laws, you can expect to be deported. For the so called asylum seekers, there are very few countries to which the Refugee policy can be applied. The Vietnam War is long over; Australia cannot interfere with another nations own policies, like China’s one child policy, so don’t come here expecting to have a passel of kids; as for other wars… well, wars end. If your side won, great, you’re a Displaced Person, not a refugee and you can go home. If your side lost, you’ll probably be granted refugee status.
And that’s the problem. Most asylum seekers are Displaced Persons. The definition of a refugee is someone who cannot return home because they will be persecuted on the grounds of race, religion, politics or creed. A simple definition, but oh, so hard to prove; unless you’re a Caucasian from Zimbabwe, then I think you’re in. Anywhere.
It’s time governments stopped being so bloody politically correct in trying to protect the individual and returned to protecting the country.
In a fight between the rights of an individual to live in peace and the pursuit of happiness without persecution, and the sovereign rights of a nation to secure its borders and its citizens, the nation comes first.
If we are, indeed the global village, then it’s time for the ghetto down the street to clean up its own neighbourhood and stop demanding uptown ‘do something because you owe us’. Bullshit. You want change in your country? You change it. It worked for Corazon Aquino in the Philippines; it worked for the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran; it worked for Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union.
People power. Not whiny, selfish, narrow-minded, offended-at-rejection assholes who think it their right to shift to any country they like. Have the courage of your convictions and help your own people. It’s not up to Western, First World nations to interfere, regardless of what’s happening in Iraq today. It’s up to the citizens.
And it’s time the global village understood and accepted that, instead of giving in to the bloody sensitive flowers who are easily offended.
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