Right Pulse

Rudd’s softened approach to illegal immigration is causing new grief for Indonesia and Malaysia.

MORE than 260 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers were last night threatening to blow up their boat if the Indonesian navy forced them to disembark at the port in Merak after the large cargo boat they were piloting towards Christmas Island broke down….Sri Lankans had each paid $US15,000 ($16,533) to board the wooden craft in Malaysia 13 days ago, after travelling there by air from Jaffna….”Another boat full of Tamils left Malaysia for Canada, and for that people were paying $US45,000 per person,”

And why wouldn’t they just fly to Australia and claim asylum at the airport? Not as dramatic I suppose, and you can’t exactly threaten to blow yourself up at the Sydney airport customs desk and expect to get away with it, but somehow Rudd thinks it is okay on the high seas.