Refugees and migrants. (Letters).

SIR: Having followed the immigration debate for many years, I was dismayed by Andrew Kaldor's moral equation (March 2002) between the bribing of officials of repressive regimes and payments to people-smuggling syndicates for illegal entry into Australia.

Refugees from political and religious persecution still have to bribe corrupt officials of repressive regimes to flee. Dissident networks, at great personal risk, facilitate their escape abroad.

Criminal people-smuggling syndicates, on the other hand, prey on those arriving in third countries (as well as other potential emigrants in those countries), by promising to by-pass the immigration procedures of liberal democracies in return for substantial payments. Such traffic undermines the very legal structures that guarantee the economic and social well-being that make liberal democracies attractive to emigrants.

Helen Hughes, Sydney, NSW.

SIR: At last a much-needed debate on immigration may have been initiated by Quadrant with differing views from Professor Kasper (November 2001) and Mr Kaldor (March 2002). It would seem, however, that more attention should be given now to distinguish migrants (including many on humanitarian bases) from refugees (a particular instance of the humanitarian category).

For over 200 years, Australia has admitted newcomers and generally sought to expand its population through immigration. Various forms of discrimination have been applied at different times to those coming here. Non-Europeans used to be excluded; health checks and police records are still used in an attempt to limit entry to people thought to have good prospects of becoming useful citizens of this country. There would seem to be little objection to such screening of migrants, but we might remember that many early newcomers were convicted felons yet by and large they seem to have become effective members of the community.

While some screening of migrants is not objectionable and could, perhaps, be extended to people desiring permanent residence after overstaying temporary visas, it would be inappropriate to apply the same tests to refugees. A refugee's plea for admission to this country is not based on a ...