I READ with interest letters from Chris Thackray and David Rowlands (EA, July 9), but I still have one question.

If a person is in such fear of persecution that he or she has to flee their homeland, why do they not seek refuge in the first friendly country they arrive at?

This would immediately exclude those fleeing from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Sri Lanka and would do a lot of ease the burden in this country.

This is a straightforward question so perhaps Chris Thackray, David Rowlands or Anne Lubin would care to answer it without hiding behind facts and figures or statistics.

R W SELWAY

Burden Close

Stratton St Margaret

Swindon