Debate on asylum seekers goes on in Australia

A debate on asylum seekers is going on between the Australian Government and the Opposition following the arrest of more than 250 Sri Lankan asylum seekers by the Indonesian authorities 10 days ago.
The SBS news service quoted Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard as saying that Australia was trying to strike a balance between deterring people smugglers and treating asylum seekers humanely.
The SBS further said: “The federal government is under fire, with Nationals Leader Warren Truss saying last week at least 25 people had died trying to get to Australia because of Labour's "open door" security policy”. Two boats containing hundreds of asylum seekers are currently in distress off the Indonesian coast and about 250 Sri Lankan asylum seekers refuse to leave their boat in western Java.
Ms Gillard said Mr Truss should apologise for the comments and denied the government was responsible for a sharp rise in boats coming to Australia.
"What Australians know, and what the government knows, is that we live in a world where people get displaced from their home countries for a variety of reasons," she told the Nine Network.
"We're seeing the aftermath of civil war in Sri Lanka, so people move because of that kind of violence.
"What the world wants is for people, if they have to flee their homes, to get in contact with responsible authorities such as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and have their claims processed, not risk long and dangerous journeys overseas where they might get in distress and real difficulty."
In another news item SBS quoted the federal opposition as saying Prime Minister Kevin Rudd needs to stem the flow of asylum seekers instead of relying on Indonesia to do the heavy lifting.
"The flow (of asylum seekers) is back on full strength and it is a deadly business," opposition immigration spokeswoman Sharman Stone told ABC Television. "And that is why we are saying: 'Look, Prime Minister Rudd, look you do something right now other than just calling in Indonesia to do your heavy lifting'."
Dr Stone said the number of asylum seekers had increased from about three boats in 2002/03 to 41 boats since the Labour government "softened" its policy last year.
If the Opposition had been in power, the problem wouldn't exist, she said. "We wouldn't have the problem in the first position, because we had zero boat problems, effectively, when we were in government," she said. "If prime minister Rudd refused to deal with the problem he has created, and we got to our change of government with us in power, you would stand by and see us with a strategic package bringing all of this to a crunch very, very quickly."