It’s not as if Australia has been spared the dozens if not hundreds of refugees trying to reach our shores, that have lost lives. If memories serve me right we even tried to prevent refugees from attending burial services.
Italy has declared a national day of mourning after a boat packed with African migrants caught fire and sank off the island of Lampedusa, killing at least 130 people.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-04/italy-delcares-national–mourning-migrant-boat-sinking-lampedusa/4997856
The boat had set sail from Libya, a route thousands of migrants take each year to try and reach the European Union.
Italian interior minister Angelino Alfano says the disaster occurred when the boat’s motor stopped working and the vessel began to take on water.
He says people on board burned a sheet to attract the attention of rescuers, starting a fire on board.
“Once the fire started, there was a concern about the boat sinking and everyone moved to one side, causing the boat to go down,” he told a news conference.
The 20-metre vessel, believed to be carrying around 500 people, sank no more than one kilometre from shore.
Scores of people have been rescued and brought to shore, but so too have many bodies.
Authorities have confirmed the death of at least 93 people, and coast guard divers have counted 40 bodies inside the sunken vessel.
Two pregnant women are reported to be among the victims, as well as three children, while hundreds more remain missing.
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
I wasn’t going to comment here,however, taking on board Algernon’s request to move forward and contribute more solid contributions,I though that a few facts might be relevant.
I don’t know how many Australians mourned for the loss of the lives in Indonesia recently, but I suppose if the boat had capsized and caught fire 1 kilometre from Hamilton Island, it would have elicited much the same reaction.
Some facts on what’s happening may be relevant here.
The people that are travelling to Europe, are coming from Eritria, Syria and Somalia. We know why they are fleeing from Syria – there is a civil war with the citizens fighting against a dictator. Eritria next to Ethiopia is a corrupt authoritarian regime,regularly murdering and imprisoning any dissenters. So one can see why they leave there.
Somalia is partially ruled (ruled being a misnomer in that hell-hole), by Al-Shabaab, non other than the organisation that just slaughtered innocent people in Kenya, as part of their twisted plan to establish an Islamic world.
The number boat people this year trying to get to Europe in 2013 are Syrian 7,500, Eritrea 7,500 and Somalia 3000. Over 19,000 have attempting the journey, since 1988.
From the BBC…. Since 1988, at least 19,142 people died trying to reach Europe’s borders – 2,352 in 2011 alone
6,707 have died off Sicily in the past 10 years
In 2012 Italy examined 27,000 asylum claims – 24% of applicants got international protection
272,208 asylum claims in whole EU in 2012, of which 25% were in Germany
30,100 irregular migrants reached Italy by sea in Jan-Oct 2013 – about half were from Syria and Eritrea
“”Sources: UNHCR, Frontex, Fortress Europe””
Thank your lucky stars that you were not borne there.
Of course the problem is that Europe is now groaning under the weight of millions of displaced people. I’m not going to table their thoughts of course. That would take up a couple of pages.
However, one thing is obvious. The sooner that Syria is sorted out the better. I don’t know the solution, however there is going to be massive soico upheavals in the next twenty years. And battles for ideology….Let’s hope that radical Islam gets some serious setbacks.
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Carisbrooke;
Your figures are frightening aren’t they? Sooner rather than later the burden of refugees being housed in the already overpopulated neighbouring countries will have to be addressed. The alternative is more Al-Qaida terrorism or worse, which will be easily sourced from the millions being housed in tents and camps. Imagine refugees looking at the maps of Australia, Canada and the Scandinavian countries, also huge tracts in Russia almost empty of people with so much space.
Those that are wealthy and have space will have to radically come up to the plate and share the burden. Perhaps we should lose the idea that we have borders dividing us in individual countries. The world might just have to pull its socks up and work towards being one world and one country, instead of separate entities shaped by the past but becoming irrelevant in the future.
Our industries are already working in the wide world. Borders to the multi nationals are meaningless now. Why not the same for people. Who cares if Somali born or Dutch born working in Indonesia or China? We are a melting pot, so open the borders and let people make those choices as long as no one is starving or being killed. We should all try and prevent that by any means.
The alternative is to do nothing and lose our humanity in the process.
The refugees drowned near Lampedusa last week are witnesses to our inhumanity.
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Well, of course the remedy, is to get rid of the dictatorships. Then all of those people will be able to live in their own countries.
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I was actually suggesting you do an opinion piece Jules, not necessarily a long or considered response to someone else.
Notwithstanding that this is a well considered response to the article and thank you for sharing it.
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I knew what you meant, however they don’t get many comments.
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Well you win a few you lose a few. Sometimes they work and others don’t. The last one I think you did was really good, I think it was the April Fools Joke.
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Italian MPs are obviously more emotional than Australian MPs.
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Perhaps they might also be more caring. Some time back, the Mayor of that tiny island Lampedusa had refugees staying in his home.
Would it not be a terrific gesture if Abbott or Morrison could do the same? I believe Julian Burnside has refugees living with his family.
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And as the boats are sinking
merrily we raise our Southern flag
Australia, don’t just keep on thinking
turning pride into a mere rag.
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There may be no day of mourning, yet some of us still hang our heads in shame.
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What a sad contrast in reactions.
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Our government just talks of ‘boats’ as if boats never contain people. It’s all too hard and too quick to show compassion. You give back what was given.
Some talk here in Australia as if the drowning is deliberately done by rich people avoiding ‘queues’!
Appalling!
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This catch cry of ‘queue- jumper’ irritates me. Where is the ‘queue’, they’re not lining up for pie ‘n’ sauce. If they are queue jumpers, what a terrible punishment, incarceration for the entire family!
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