There goes that right wing ding bat theory!

[Jovial Monk]

Not other people, other Tamils. And 260 refugees make such a big difference to a country with over 1Bn people in it already

[JWFrogen]

Not other people, other Tamils. And 260 refugees make such a big difference to a country with over 1Bn people in it already

Shri Lankan Tamils are not Indian Tamils.

Welcome to the bitch and glory called nationalism.

[Jovial Monk]

Well, like calls to like, often across national boundaries--you should know that of all people!

I don't really know what the situation is. More complex than just screaming "Send the boat people back or they will overrun us" xenophobic crap!

[Jovial Monk]

Hmmm you might be on to something Froges. This is from a poster on PB who is a govt MP staffer:

Tamil Nadu has 66 million people and is poor and crowded. They also speak a different dialect of Tamil to the Sri Lankan Tamils. They don’t regard them as being “people like them” and they’re not very welcoming of the 70,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees already present. They certainly won’t accept all 1.8 million of them. Tamils have lived in Sri Lanka for 2000 years and most of them have no connection with India.

Mind you no reference was given to support that assertion. Did the Tigers get arms from Tamil Nadu?

[Jovial Monk]

http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/dataQue ... ?rptType=1

Here’s an excerpt from the figures for refugees from Sri Lanka in 2008, according to the country to which they applied:

Australia: 1,843
Canada: 20,442
France: 18,102
Germany: 6,594
India: 73,286
Malaysia: 1,232
Switzerland: 2,464
UK: 8,725
USA: 1,615

This came from the Pure Poison blog at Crikey: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2 ... ones-bolt/

So the increase in refugees/illegal immigrants whatever arriving here is definitely a push factor, not the bloody KRudd softening border protection.

[Jovial Monk]

This site looks interesting:

http://www.refugees.org/countryreports.aspx?id=2143

[Jovial Monk]

Possum has a look at the actual figures of boat people arriving.

Definitely push not pull factors. Only real pull factor is without TPVs the people smugglers might be able to charge a higher price: with TPVs you would have had to be desperate to come here.

[Lefteee]

Could have something to do with the cartoon you posted JM - most other places suck at the moment, making Australia highly attractive.

[Jovial Monk]

With the new offensive against a Taliban stronghold in Pakistan, expect some pakistani refugees here soon.

[Jovial Monk]

The Libs moved an MPI in Parlt today re Boat People. Quoted the doctored stats re arrivals: boats kept coming after the Pacific "Solution" was implemented but were directed to Manus Is, Nauru etc, i.e. "not to Australia."

Why didn't they try a censure motion? Pathetic!