Australia may take fewer refugees

Thousands of asylum seekers arrive legally, thousands more illegally

Australia may significantly reduce the number of legal asylum seekers it accepts, in order to compensate for the large number of people who enter the country illegally, the country's immigration minister said on Wednesday.

Australia currently takes in about 12,000 asylum seekers a year through the legal system, the minister, Philip Ruddock, said.

But with nearly 3,000 people having been caught trying to enter the country illegally last year, Australia is having to reduce its intake of legal refugees and cut its special humanitarian programmes by about half, Mr Ruddock said.

Mr Ruddock says changes may have to be made

About 1,450 people have already been caught trying to enter Australia illegally this year, many arriving by boat to thinly populated areas of the coast.

An unnamed Australian Government spokesman told the Associated Press news agency that people who obeyed the law might suffer because of those who did not.

"People who are doing the right thing are being penalised by those who are bringing their family and friends out illegally," the spokesman said.

The United Nations and human-rights groups have criticised Australia for what they consider to be overly harsh treatment of asylum seekers.

Would-be immigrants are detained in camps, which have been the scene of riots this year.