Australia has a problem with boat people from Indonesia trying to enter Australia illegally. Many of these people come from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. They wait in Indonesia until they can find a boat which will take them to Australia. Recently, Australia stopped a boat with 45 people on it. So far this year, their navy has turned back 75 boats from the coast of Western Australia. For more background listen to April 20th 2009.
The new Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, spoke to John Key about her plan to deal with this problem. She said that before long, boat people will start coming to New Zealand if they can get bigger boats. She thought that East Timor could be a good place to process boat people, with the help of UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission for Refugees). After they have been processed, New Zealand could take some of these people as refugees. However, John Key did not promise anything. He said New Zealand could not take more than 750 refugees each year.
East Timor is not happy about Ms Gillard’s idea. It is a very poor country and they have enough problems of their own. However, the President agreed to look at the idea again.
Australia will hold elections very soon. The problem of boat people worries many Australians. Ms Gillard knows she has to find a solution to this problem.
Questions
What do you think should happen to boat people?