http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/fiona-david/ Fiona David is an independent consultant and an expert in national and international laws on people smuggling.  Fiona’s clients have included the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration.  Recent projects included drafting a Model Law for the UN Office of Drugs and Crime that can be used by any country wanting to improve their laws on this issue; a review of the people smuggling laws of 13 countries in Eastern Africa, and consultations with governments in North Africa, including Libya, regarding people smuggling and legislative issues.  Fiona lives in Australia but travels constantly for her work. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-boats-can-be-stopped-if-war-and-hunger-are-too/ Tony Abbott wants to stop the boats.  Can we do this? I was recently in Djibouti, a small country that is very important in the world of people smuggling because of its location.  Djibouti is wedged between Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, some of the most conflict-ridden countries in the world.  In contrast, Djibouti is relatively stable. Importantly it has a long coastline in the Gulf of Aden.  A fishing boat can reach Yemen in under two hours. Despite its peace, Djibouti is a very poor country.  Women still cart water on their backs. The CIA Fact-book describes the country as “mostly wasteland”. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona David) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-boats-can-be-stopped-if-war-and-hunger-are-too/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-boats-can-be-stopped-if-war-and-hunger-are-too/#item3223 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:55:36 +0000 Fiona David | Author bios | The Punch