Australian PM refuses to deny people-smugglers were paid to turn back boat

So they paid the smugglers to turn back. How do they know the smugglers didn't drop their cargo off halfway?

Europe is going to have a huge problem in the coming years, theres an estimated 100,000 people coming again this year with many thousands of those going to drown. unless they get tough like Australia then itll turn into a tsunami of boats.

If that is true, wouldn't the smugglers just turn the ship back again and hope for another pay?

Perhaps, poorer countries should get tough like Australia and turn back the huge corporations of the developed world.

Poorer countries will be poor forever without the investment of huge corporations of the developed world. In Australia, there are not many manufacturing jobs left over. Unemployment among older and less educated people are norm. Aussie government is struggling with low revenue. Export is shrinking.

On the contrast, Indonesia is enjoying investment of huge corporation of the developed world. Many people have been employed in low skilled jobs of manufacturing. Government is getting more tax. Trade surplus from consumer goods is rising.

Some refugees in US, Canada, UK and Australia have become criminals after killing innocent people. Boston bombers are former refugees granted by US. Not all asylum seekers are real refugee.

@heynong, poor countries receive big investments from rich countries and when they become rich would bit the hands that fed them. And yes some asylum seekers and immigrants enjoyed to the max and braced everything from public education, social and health services. Then when they're at the age to give back to the country that nourished them they'll go in arms, fled somewhere and kill the very people native to the country that fed them. Really saddening!

Amusingly enough I doubt that most Australians would actually by upset if the smugglers were paid off. $30,000 is chump change compared to the cost of processing, feeding, clothing, sheltering, etc hundreds of illegal migrants.

IIIyas. Majority of Australians won't be upset even if Navy or Custom paid $ 5000 to crew members of boat which carrying Asylum seekers to Christmas Island because it's cheaper than brought them to Christmas Island. The Boat crews are not main culprit of human smugglers and they were hired by human smugglers. They are poor ordinary fisherman from remote Island of Indonesia. If they co operated with Australian authority and then good for them. They get money and they can look after their family instead of staying 3 or 4 years in Australian Prison. If Asylum seekers do not trust their boat crew members and captain and then they don't jump on the boat.