|
|
Article: Australia at sea in refugee debate: Would-be refugees remain in the Indian Ocean, denied entry to Australia and Indonesia.(World)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- August 30, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Andrew West Special to The Christian Science Monitor
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- Compared with the millions who flow across international borders fleeing persecution or war, 438 people on board a Norwegian freighter in the Indian Ocean off Australia's coast constitute barely a trickle.
But this group of refugees - reportedly from Afghanistan and Iraq - is now testing a nation that has long wrestled with its immigration policies, particularly on refugees and asylum seekers.
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Australia allowed entry to thousands of people who arrived by boat from Indochina [mainly Vietnam and Cambodia].
In the past two ...