Australia continues
to be the destination of choice for a growing number of illegal
immigrants fleeing their home countries in the middle east
and Asia. More than 3,700 people in the last year have arrived
on Australia's vast coastline seeking a new life but instead
they receive detention in camps for long periods.
The government's tough policy has done
little to dissuade the boat people but has provoked an emotional
debate within Australia about how to deal with this growing
problem. The illegal people traffic
often organized by criminal gangs shows no sign of abating
and the Australian authorities took the unprecedented step
of turning away a ship carrying refugees.
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