Does Australia accept refugees?

Australia is a developed country (Australia) with a small population density and rich natural resources. Accepting refugees can alleviate international problems, but for Australia, the burden is completely affordable.

The Australian government claims that its border control policy is effective, and the number of asylum seekers has plummeted, but United Nations figures show that the number of asylum seekers is declining all over the world.

According to a report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva the day before yesterday, the number of asylum seekers in 38 industrialized countries fell to the lowest level in 16 years last year. These countries include Europe, North America, parts of Asia and Australia. Changes in the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq are the main factors for the decline.

Immigration Minister AMANDA VANSTONE welcomed the decline in the number of asylum seekers, but attributed it to the government's tough policies, which effectively prevented refugees from entering Australia illegally, and vowed to carry out these policies to the end. However, LAURIE FERGUSON, a spokeswoman for the opposition party's immigration affairs, revealed to the government that the effect of the government's refugee policy is minimal, mainly because the number of people has decreased due to changes in the international environment, and millions of Afghan refugees have returned home.

According to the United Nations report, the number of asylum seekers in Afghanistan has plummeted by 83% in the past three years. In 200 1 year, Afghanistan was the main area where refugees increased, with more than 50,000 asylum seekers. Last year, it dropped to 13, with only 8,800 vehicles. A European UNHCR official believes that this clearly reflects the positive changes brought about by the overthrow of the Taliban regime. Since 2002, the number of asylum seekers in Iraq has also dropped by 80%, but it began to rise last year.

According to the report, the largest group applying for asylum is from Russia (30 100), most of which are from Chechnya. In 2004, the total number of asylum seekers in 38 countries was 368,000, the lowest level since 1988. France received the largest number of applicants last year, with 665,438+0,000, followed by the United States with 52,400. The total proportion of refugees accepted by Australia and New Zealand does not exceed two per 1000 residents.

Last year, the largest number of asylum seekers came from China (774), followed by India (23 1), Malaysia (185), Indonesia (144) and Iraq (1kloc-0/4). Some European countries, such as Britain, the Netherlands and Denmark, have recently considered tightening their asylum application policies, and the number of asylum seekers is decreasing.

ARIANE RUMMERY, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Australia, said that although strict border control policies may have played a role, the number of cross-border asylum seekers is declining, which is not due to the government.