Boat People Fix Tops Australia Leader Rudd’s Jakarta Agenda
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Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd begins an Indonesia visit today as he seeks to make headway on an issue that has dogged the ruling Labor party for years: How to stop asylum seekers arriving on the country’s shores.
A week after ousting Julia Gillard as leader, and with Labor trailing the opposition coalition in opinion polls before a ballot due to be held by the end of November, Rudd needs to tackle voter discontent over the government’s inability to stem the flow of asylum seekers who have paid people smugglers in Indonesia for a place on a boat, often after starting their journey in war-torn countries like Afghanistan.