Not long ago Indonesia was the departure point for Indonesian fishing boats carrying refugees and others to Australia. Now that Australia stemmed the tide, Indonesia finds itself the target for these hopefuls from Bangladesh and Maynmar. What is interesting here is that Indonesia to turning away people from the depopulated area of Aceh where the tsunmai decimated the population not so long ago and these people are their fellow muslims. I find it interesting they would enable transit but not assist and resettle these people

Indonesian military warns more asylum seeker boats on the way ahead of talks with Malaysia, Thailand - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-18/indonesian-military-warns-more-asylum-seeker-boats-on-way/6478208)

This boat people thing seems to be a world wide trend with thousands drowning in the Mediterranian and no way of knowing how many have been lost in the Indian Ocean. There is of course an answer to this problem, stop the wars that are displacing large populations and look at the other push factors which are occurring in Bangladesh. Indonesia would do well to remember that when they needed help it was freely given by the rest of the world

I put this thread up to see if the world cared and of course it doesn't. Indonesia has agree to take those it has as long as someoneelse will resettle them within a year. There are an indeterminate number of rohingas who are unwelcome in SE asia, some refugees from persecution, some economic migrants

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-20/south-east-asia-nations-hold-crisis-meeting-over-migration/6482426

They need to stay home and fix the problems there. Rather than break laws and cause problems for others.

Thanks for deciding what I care about or not. I am barraged daily with 'care or you're a horrible person' on all social sites online.

Isn't about you joy

Smoothy thank you for your caring attitude. The world really is going to hell in a hand cart, you know, and somehow we have to get someone to do more than sit on their hands. These people are displaced because someone is attacking them, and what do they find, so is everyoneelse. We can all get upset about a few thousand hotheads in Syria and Iraq, but state terrorism elsewhere is overlooked

Not surprising Indonesia is emulating what Australia did with their refugee problem except for the drowning part. Still got those sardine can refugee processing centers?

Australian immigration detention facilities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_immigration_detention_facilities)

Isn't about you joy

Smoothy thank you for your caring attitude. The world really is going to hell in a hand cart, you know, and somehow we have to get someone to do more than sit on their hands. These people are displaced because someone is attacking them, and what do they find, so is everyoneelse. We can all get upset about a few thousand hotheads in Syria and Iraq, but state terrorism elsewhere is overlooked

If everyone took initiative to fix their own problems at home... there wouldn't be major despots running things. Sure it means someone sticking their necks out and some getting it cut off. But the rest of the world can't be expected to take in everyone who is upset about something at home.

Tal yes we do have some of those processing centres but many have closed because the people smugglers business model has been broken where we are concerned. Detention of law breakers has been a long held policy of our governmemnt and is no different to the policies of yours and other governments. We still accept thousands of refugees each year, but none have been lost at sea off our shores in the last year, which we consider the important point and it is because we have a rule, come illegally and you will not be resettled here. We know the push factors are still there but Indonesia is now learning what it means to respect the soveriegnty of another country, so are these others who allowed transit for the smuggling trade. They caused this themselves by allowing migrants to use their territory for transit. The great difficulty is that these people have nowhere to go, they are not wanted in Maynmar or anywhereelse in SE asia.

We understand the Indonesian attitude but we never abandoned a boat at sea while our crisis existed, this is the difference and we try to deal humanely with those in detention. Detainees become very angry when they learn they will not succeed because they come to know they have been decieved. I don't doubt this is also true of the Rohingas on boats in the indian Ocean.

Smoothy, what happened to send us your masses? Too many people accept the invitation? To solve these problems we must stop wars, change climates, improve economies, I'm sorry but it seems the white man's burden is too heavy and the world doesn't want our intervention. We are over populated and the sooner we realise it the better. Bangladesh, where these people originate from has a huge population under threat from climate change as well as poverty and unsympathetic neighbours India and Maynmar and this is the beginning of the migrations we will see in coming decades

Smoothy, what happened to send us your masses? Too many people accept the invitation? To solve these problems we must stop wars, change climates, improve economies, I'm sorry but it seems the white man's burden is too heavy and the world doesn't want our intervention. We are over populated and the sooner we realise it the better. Bangladesh, where these people originate from has a huge population under threat from climate change as well as poverty and unsympathetic neighbours India and Maynmar and this is the beginning of the migrations we will see in coming decades We have gotten sick and tired of illegals DEMANDING they have the RIGHT to be here... most of them are poorly educated, are leaches on the system instead of contributors like OUR ancestors were. THat only INCREASES the taxes those of us who have worked hard to get ahead in hopes to put enough aside for our own retirements, which means we have that much LESS money to save.

I didn't pay my own way through college and worked my butt off to spend my life supporting a bunch of illegals who do nothing by breed and suck those of us who work hard dry. I did it in hopes of having a comfortable retirement.

As it is now... I spend $3,000 MORE in property taxes every year (and that keeps getting higher) than I should because of the high percentages of illegals in our schools... all of whom should be deported... and nobody born here of illegal parents should be allowed to have citizenship either. That's a significant amount of money I no longer have to save for my own retirement.

You put this thread up to see if the world cared and it didn't. Who is the world? I spoke for a big portion of the world. My heart breaks for every refugee; it breaks for anyone who suffers.
I'm very touchy about care overload nowadays.

Yes Joy I think you have named it, there is a care overload, so many refugees in the middle east and other places, and not really much that can be done to change their circumstances. There is this problem in Africa/Europe where large numbers are being exploited and are dying and we are seeing much the same thing in the Indian Ocean and despite the fact there are rich nations they have a limited ability to accommodate and care for large numbers of homeless people. The logistics just don't seem to be there. We have clearly seen the Muslim attitude demonstrated in Indonesia and Malaysia and without international protest they would not have relented and the Muslim attitude in Libya and north Africa is to pass them on


I didn't pay my own way through college and worked my butt off to spend my life supporting a bunch of illegals who do nothing by breed and suck those of us who work hard dry. I did it in hopes of having a comfortable retirement.

As it is now... I spend $3,000 MORE in property taxes every year (and that keeps getting higher) than I should because of the high percentages of illegals in our schools... all of whom should be deported... and nobody born here of illegal parents should be allowed to have citizenship either. That's a significant amount of money I no longer have to save for my own retirement.

Smoothy I'm sure you pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps and I don't deny you the right to a peaceful retirement, however you have a political process to deal with these issues, whereas that doesn't exist where these people come from and it means that your nation needs to stop talking about democracy and do more to enhance the places where these people come from. If you had invested in Central and South America instead of China you wouldn't have the problem of immigrant flow or the problem of an emerging China. The most efficient form of charity is to create employment. Wrong choices once again. It is to be hoped that when you get a new President you might also get a new direction

We didn't have that political process until enough of us got sick and tired of the Crap the Kink of England was dumping on us that we fought for and got what we have. They are completely capable of doing the same thing in their own countries.

I am also sick and tired of wasting huge amounts of MY income in banana republics where it all goes to line the pockets of the Despot du jour.

Incidentally... China is a far cry from being a great place politically... but we actually have tried to run businesses there... but for the most part... they lack the drive and desire to do quality work on a consistent basis. And quality control is critical in most businesses. Not true for ALL of them, just most of them. Many attempts have failed miserably as a result. Not unlike Africa.

Could be a cultural issue, might be an educational issue, could even be a combination of the two and at least a third component.

Tony Abbott rules out resettling Rohingyas in Australia, Indonesia says it is obliged to - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-21/rohingyas-migrants-indonesia-says-australia-obliged-resettle/6486590)

It is no wonder we don't have an ambassador in Jakata at the moment, Indonesia has just suggested we take their Rohingya problem off their hands. Having reduced aid to them, this is payback and a silly childish response. I for one am not interested in supporting the resettlement of large numbers of muslim refugees here, our cities are already overcrowded so no accommodation there and these people lack the skills to live in our remote areas, they come from a tropical environment, not a desert environment. We have already heard what a hell our detention centres are but it would be just as hellish to create new communities. When people are resettled here they have an obligation to live away from the large centres for five years. Tony has already pointed out that any resettlement here would play into the people smugglers hands and that what has to be dealt with is the push factor in Maynmar, which smoothy is your dictator de jour creating the problem.

What should happen is these people should be resettled in Aceh where the population was decimated by the tsunami and culturally they would fit right in. I see a period of poor relations with Indonesia with consequences for both nations

What goes around comes around: A good simple example is land grabbing in Africa. Monsanto works hand in hand with land grabbers. Where do the displaced people go, thrown off lands their families handed down for centuries, but without papers? They spill into the backyards of the people who caused them to be refugees. Unfortunately a lot of people like smoothy and me too, and we weren't part of it all. Some would say we were, by default. It isn't easy knowing what my world wide responsibilities are. I am sore and old and would like some respite from most of them.

You and me both Joy. I cannot see why these people cannot be helped in their homelands but a capitalistic system that seeks only profit and exploitation doesn't fit that world view, Even Europe with it's socialist agenda has difficulty coping and the answer in the Muslim world where the petrodollars are available is hard luck.

Many nations have internal issues of poverty and misplacement to deal with and these things seem more urgent than the problems of people far removed. This is just a taste of what the affects of climate change will bring to an over populated world and there is no answer short of war on a global scale to attack those who profit from the trade in people

Para, you can solve the world problems in yr posts here. Joy is ten years younger then me. I still work, pay taxes, read the papers and I can truthfully say all I care about is what is happening in Canada because that is what effects MY livelihood for the present. I AM living in the MOMENT. I am not wealthy, but unlike lyou, I am HAPPY. Unlike joy I will NEVER say I am tired and old.

Tickle How could you say I am not happy, on a personal level I have a good life in a place with a favourable climate and not too many social problems, however that is not true for everyone. Discussing the world's problems doesn't solve them because we are unable to implement the solutions we propose but words have power and just maybe something will filter through. I am pleased something is happening in Canada, we get so little news from that far flung place, how about you resettle some Rohingya in those frozen wastes? No, about as practical a solution as resettling them in an Australian desert. In one place too much water, in another not enough. As to being tired and old, well appearances decieve but exercising the mind is important.

I had a look at the statistics on the Rohingya from a population of 24,000 in 1869 they number almost 2 million today with over 700,000 in Arakan, their claimed homeland in Maynmar. They literally breed like rabbits from 5% of the population to over 20%. This sort of thing with minorities is the cause of trouble

somehow we have to get someone to do more than sit on their hands.Praying will surely help.

Yes Karma I find certain troubles settle down after I pray about them, I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I know what isn't helpful and that is a smartarse attitude. When you actually believe in something perhaps we can find common ground

When you actually believe in something perhaps we can find common groundWhen your common ground is based on religion you are no better than the waring factions in the middle east.

There is a big difference between what I believe and what I do and those waring factions in the middle east. I have no desire to kill anyone. It is entirely unnecessary to behave in that manner unfortunately some people have to reap what they sow