Mr Malcolm Fraser and his government allowed around 200,000 Asians to settle in  Australia.

 This  included  nearly 56,000 Vietnamese people who  applied as refugees after risking their lives escaping from the brutal and oppressive Communist regime, searching for freedom and democracy in a new land.   

We are forever grateful for his kind act which has allowed us to start our new and better lives in Australia where we call home. 

We are equally grateful for his compassion and advocacy for human rights.  

Mr Fraser will be forever remembered in our hearts.

We salute our hero and pay tribute to a great Australian. 

RIP,  Mr Fraser.

Teresa Tran,  Wollongong chapter president, Vietnamese Community in Australia

The so-called factual offering by Adrian Devlin (Union let POWs suffer, Mercury letters 23/3) is not substantiated by the recorded history of the day.

The British aircraft carrier HMS Speaker had been converted to a floating dormitory for the numerous missions to return POWs to their homelands, including the return of 659 Australian POW fighting men from Manila directly after the end of World War II. Thirty-three of these soldiers were Tasmanians resulting in reporting by the Hobart Mercury staff reporters on Tuesday, October 16, 1945, records of which are available online.

Docking records show that HMS Speaker arrived at Sydney Heads around 8am before steaming to a Pyrmont wharf directly before 10am on Monday, October 15, 1945. Records of the arrival can also be found in online records.

The Hobart Mercury article reports “as they drove through Sydney today girls crowded to the buses to grasp their hands…and when the buses stopped girls handed them ice-creams”.

It should be noted that the vessel docked on October 15 and the article appeared on the morning of October 16. The article makes no mention of union activities.

The statement that the POWs were held on the ship for 36 hours as a result of a unionists’ strike are quite simply not backed up by this recorded information.

Frank Booth, Mount Keira

Recently the Mercury ran an article on the slashing of community services because the Liberal government can’t afford it  – about  $3million a year.

 In other words,  the sick, feeble and elderly will have to find alternative means of transport to get them to their medical appointments and things like that, plus day trips and getting to their social outings – these clubs that run events for the elderly will have to close as well.

It is of great concern that no political party has picked up this ball and run with it, they would definitely have got my vote and a lot of others as well.

Robert Miller, Lakeview Village

I am surprised to learn many prisoners incarcerated in the state’s jails are not only entitled to vote  but have been encouraged to do so (Mercury, March 25). Had I known this,  I could have set up a political party especially for them – the Shooters and Robbers Party.

Dave Jennings, Towradgi