Ten members of a persecuted Chinese spiritual group, the Falun Gong, made plans to escape to New Zealand but the perilous journey ended in a desperate plea for help. The group consisting of men, women and two children made plans to land in New Zealand but were picked up in Australian waters. From there the persecuted spritual group filed for asylum in Australia.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, "Mr Bowen [The immigration Minister for Australia] said the government had not made any special deals to convince them to stay in Australia."
"They've come to their own decision," he said.
"I'm sure it wouldn't have been an easy decision for them; they weighed everything up."
This decision is only made difficult by the strange law that states asylum can be granted to those arriving by air, but not by boat. Thus the ten men and women have been detained in a holding facility despite numerous protests from Refugee Advocates.
If someone's willing to risk a sea voyage in a less-than ideal craft, I say let them have asylum. It shows moxie.
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