Refugees

these refugees look like they aren't having fun ;)

the Malaysian Solution

If the Australian Government really wanted to 'break the people smugglers' business model' they could expand the refugee intake and use the money they are giving to Malaysia to have humanitarian airlifts of asylum seekers and so put a stop to the need for them to get on the boats. I don't want a cent of my taxes to be spent on this dirty game of government people trafficking.

shamefu

i don't know who is more shameful, Julia Gillard or the Malaysian government.But i do know that refugees are badly treated by the corrupt and cruel militia and immigration officers in Malaysia. The women are raped,robbed, and bullied by the callous RELA militia and also cops who demand payment for not arresting them. I have seen those cops collecting money from the refugees. Gillard's Malaysian solution is a scam, the money will end up in Malaysian politicians' pockets.StupidGillard shaming us.

Definition??

@ Michael, please can you clarify the term 'genuine refugees' ? What makes a 'queue jumpers' (I assume you are referring to boat people) any less genuine? We are talking about human beings, who deserve basic human rights. Who are we to deny that!

Good Idea

Send the queue jumpers back they have the money to provide their own accommodation,and bring out the genuine refugees.

Manipulative propaganda - where were the violins?

There's around 30 million folks (fluctuates) who claim refugee status, displaced persons, asylum seeking - is is it the intent that we in the West collectively resettle all of them? The conversation is one sided with these people. None of them talk about consequence of weak govt policy - overburdened infrastructure, welfare, impact on social cohesion etc. I accept that many individuals circumstances are heartbreaking - resettlement is not a solution.

Where is the compassion?

Where is the compassion? Why doesn't anyone care? How can anyone look into the faces of those terrified people and not feel for them. I guess most people don't watch SBS for a start and most trust that the government will always do the right thing. It is a massive step backwards when our country makes a deal to send humans to that hell. I am sure those people have already been through enough.

Saddened

Agree with 1st post- the treatment of theses people is terribly sad, and I'm disgusted that a Labor govt sees nothing wrong with the malaysian uniformed, jack booted vigilante goon squads, enforcing what they see as justice, with official malaysian govt policy of locking people up in camps we would not accept for zoo animals. The only problem is ,the LNP with its dog whistling is even worse