Australia to Double Humanitarian Aid

The Rudd government has said it will double its humanitarian aid for people fleeing war and persecution in order to stop them from being smuggled. From the Australian:

Senator Evans said yesterday the Government would pour $12.8 million into overseas aid projects this year to help displaced people. This compared with $6.5 million last year.

Victims of the Iraq war would be a top priority, along with Afghans, Burmese and Sri Lankans fleeing persecution and political terror.

Senator Evans said stabilising displaced populations was part of a strategy to try to stop people from attempting risky journeys to Australia.

The move follows a surge in boat people caught off the West Australian coast. Almost 200 Afghans and Sri Lankans have been stopped since October. Two million Iraqis had fled to neighbouring countries in the past five years, while another 2.8 million were displaced inside Iraq. There were 3.5 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, up to 200,000 Burmese refugees in Bangladesh and more than 500,000 people displaced in Sri Lanka.

This is a much better response than the past, when the "Pacific Solution" and other tough enforcement measures was the government's answer.