Politicians in Germany and the Netherlands have suggested that the unemployed should be sent to the tsunami zone, as a form of aid. Chancellor Schroeder has supported the idea, although he wants to keep it voluntary.

The idea seems primarily intended as a form of punishment - "let them clear decaying corpses, that'll teach the layabouts to get a job". Remember that 99% of the unemployed have no relevant experience or training, for disaster relief work.

Sending the unemployed away would save money, if unemployment benefits were replaced by a cost-of-living allowance, based on South-East Asian prices.

Are similar proposals circulating in other countries?