Tampa
 

Did anyone in the good ol' US of A hear about the Tampa crisis here? How was it portrayed?
For those not in the know, you kind spirited warm hearted government (after all we are the friendly country) sent out an general SOS asking all shit within four hours to help a boatful of refugees that was sinking between Christmas island and Indonesia.

After they Tampa, a Norwegian ship, picked up over 450 they asked to land at Christmas Island to allow them to disembark. Australia said no, but said they would provide medial help those injured on board. After a few days with nothing happening the Tampa moved 4 miles off the coast of Christmas Island, the Australian government got pissed off, and sent SAS troops to take over the ship while trying to pass emergency laws to allow them to force unseaworthy ships back into international waters.

Eventually the Aust govt. struck an agreement with the governments of Nauru and NZ to process the refugees.

This altogether is in breach of human rights, refugee rights, and international marintime laws for a start. But we know how much they matter when it comes to the crunch.

From the second verse of our national anthem: "For those who come accross the seas we have boundless plains to share...."

I actually read about this for the first time today in the Philadelphia Inquirer. If I understand this situation correctly, jag:

--A judge ruled that the refugees can come to Australia
--Your government is fighting it
--There is rising sentiment in Australia against immigrants

It seems shitty that some are being sent to Nauru though. Isn't that country nearly useless, given all the phosphate mining that has been done there? (Granted, it's been a while since I've read about that.)

Nauru's covering our arse again!
 

I know it's been a while since anyone posted in this topic, but have you noticed, Jaguar, that now Air Nauru is going to help out with the Ansett thing as well?
Just wait till WW3 starts, and the Nauru army will probably save our arses in that, too.

Personally i think its hilarious that Narau with its huge fleet of one plane is going to help out at all. Hell why don't we just buy the place as a refugee center and leave it at that...

If we actually buy it, then all the "asylum seekers" (politically correct for "boat people") will just land there and ask for asylum. Well, at least if they do, they'll just be able to stay there.

I was just being cynical but even if we did, they wouldn't be elligible under the legslation the govt is trying to push though that makes them illegible if they land on ashmore reef or Christmas Island. This from the 'Friendly country'

the second verse of our anthem actually says, "with boundless plains to share." Huh?

Myself and a friend of mine find new jokes about that every time we hear it. For those who come across the ses we've boundless plains to share...In Narau...

Try, "boundless coal mines to, um, well, chuck you into"

boundless plains to spare (smallprint - need ot be anglosaxon, chrisitan)

boundless oceans to spare
goes on and on and.....