UN offering criticism but no leadership on migration

The article shows that UN members have no idea what the term “asylum seeker” really means.

Migrants from Indonesia and Malaysia are paying smugglers to take them to Australia. Most don’t passports or other identification to prove where they are from. It is reasonable to assume they are illegal immigrants, so they are either turned back or detained in offshore facilities until they are identified and assessed for entry. 

A legitimate asylum seeker would normally apply to a foreign country’s embassy with proof of identity, then be assessed and either given asylum or rejected. 

The UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) berates Australia for turning back the boats or placing their occupants in offshore detention. Yet nowhere in the article is any UNHRC member quoted on how the situation could be better handled. 

Perhaps they consider the current migrant influx into the European Union, via its “open-border policy”, to be the best answer! Over time the EU will pay a high price for its current handling of the situation.

The ongoing worldwide wave of migration, both legal and illegal, is greater than what occurred in the aftermath of World War II. 

There is no simple answer, but the role of UN should be to provide positive ideas and guidance, not simply to criticise and sit in judgement. 

Ray Gregory