Your leader (“Helping strangers takes courage”, 23 August) was a reminder that the international community really does need to get together to review the current asylum arrangements. If I remember correctly from my days in the Home Office, a person in fear of persecution has the right to seek asylum in the nearest safe country. What he does not have is the right to decide that he would like to live in a country of his choice. Most refugees do indeed go to the nearest safe country, and we should do everything we can to mitigate the burden on receiving countries and work for a solution that would enable the refugees to return home. This is what most of them want.So it is no good complaining that our Government does not encourage the young men in Calais, or the Sikhs from Afghani