What is worse?

[donnashuggy]

Those that overstay their visa that fly in (majority)

or

Those that arrive by boat.......with the possibily of seeking asylum (unlikely) and sent back.

I generally keep up with what is going on and don't understand the governments fixation with boats when the numbers are the clear minority.

[amber-eyed-girl]

People with iPhones, who dump them, so they can be rid of any details about who they are, and where they are from...are not helping efforts to identify them and grant them asylum.

But your statement has some merit 😛

[spotweldersfriend]

[cherry*135]

The people about whom we are speaking are leaving for the rest of their lives, and they don't pack a thing? don't pop their wallet in their pocket?

Some do. If you ever meet any people who have fled secretly in the night from their own country, fearing death if they get caught before they exit their own country, be worth asking them about that.

[*crikey*mate*]

How long does it take to leaVE YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIn (sorry), get to wherever it is you catch the boat from, and then get here?

[cherry*135]

People that arrive in boats in Australia can come from Somalia, Sudan, Syria etc.. they would have quite a trip from their homeland before they got to Indonesia?

Approx 3 days on a boat to get from Indonesia to near Christmas Island.

[*crikey*mate*]

just a ballpark time line will do, a week? month maybe?

I did think it would take longer on the boat for some reason though..

oh, and BTW, how do they move through Indonesia without documentation?

[cherry*135]

I don't know crikey, I have never travelled overland from any country to Indonesia.

[amber-eyed-girl]

In the first six months of 2013, 6000 Iranians were granted visas in Indonesia.

they were able to fly there, and get visas on arrival. For this, they needed passports.

5000 of them then came here.

in July 2013, Indonesia reviewed automatic visas to Iranians, as, and I quote the Jakarta post, a number of them were found to be drug smuggling.

this is why Iranians started figuring heavily in asylum seekers last year...Indonesia's visa system.

but...no passport, no visa.

this information is from The Australian and The Jakarta Post online newspaper records (find it by googling Iranian visas Indonesia)

Iran is currently stable (not being sarcastic here)

they had the money for the flight to Indonesia

the passports for the visas

and money for the boat smugglers

then few have passports on arrival.

[teaandfag]

I'm sorry, who decided that it was all the "so - called" Christians that don't want asylum seekers in the country?

Maybe you could put all the "so-called" Christians on a boat and send them out of the country to make room for the "so-called" asylum seekers.

What if the "so-called" asylum seekers are also "so-called" Christians?

Oh dear it seems that atheists are just as predudiced as everyone else.

[boris1gary]

donna, while I get the point your thread was aiming at, I think we should be careful that this kind of point making doesn't just spread the (often, not always) racist fear mongering that surrounds the issue of asylum seekers. Not referring to anyone in particular....just saying.