What's Gillard's Plan C?

Andrew Bolt: Julia Gillard says she wants her new detention centre to be in one of the few neighbouring nations which have signed the UN refugee convention. She first wanted East Timor, but: East Timorese MPs met yesterday to discuss the proposal. ‘’National parliament will make a resolution on this matter urgently,’’ said Rui Meneses, an MP from Mr Gusmao’s coalition. He said the statement would denounce the proposal and be sent to the Australian government, probably next week… Mari Alkatiri, the former prime minister who is secretary-general of the opposition Fretilin movement, said there was ‘’zero’’ chance of the centre being built. ‘’I totally rejected it [when it was proposed by the former prime minister John Howard] and it will be totally rejected again,’’ he said. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor then suggested Papua New Guinea, which hosted the Manus Island centre used by John Howard, but: PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare’s spokeswoman Betha Somare said the PNG Government had closed down the centre and considered the matter ended. “Our official position has been the asylum seekers issue is an internal Australian problem,” Ms Somare said. The leaves only New Zealand (too rich to deter); Samoa (too far), Tuvalu (too small, and wasn’t it drowning?), the Philippines (too far) and the Solomon Islands (where we’ve had to send peacekeepers). Inept doesn’t fully describe this. UPDATE Greg Sheridan says the refugee convention is outdated, wildly rorted and and encouraging huge population movements from the Third World.

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