"Foreign science students could be deterred from studying in the UK by new checks aimed at stopping the spread of weapons technology, it is feared..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6441263.stm

that just confirms it for me. this so called equality in the UK is all talk. what would make someone think that the intention of an international student who's coming to study bio, physics or whatever is necessarily coming to commit crime and more so against the UK? granted, the specific case mentioned would have warranted concern, but i agree with the Dr. (can't remember) mentioned that this is the usual overreaction. To me it says a lot about the natives attitudes towards immigrants and the causes of crime. May i say, that even without non-EU students, weapons of mass destruction would still be created and used by the likes of Richard Reid et al who are home grown. food for thot.

There have been some quite famous cases of students foreign students doing exactly that. Two that instamtly spring to mind were both big players in the SH chemical weapons regime.

I agree tihe GolfPro says...

BUT
there have been English nationals who have studied chemistry and the like here and then tried to make weapons in their bedrooms. And what about all the thousands of foreign students who study here and use their knowledge for good?

That people might come here and use their knowledge for bad is just a sad fact that we have to live with - the alternative is far worse.

It is true what golfpro said.

But that just represents a small percentage of foreign students. Many international students come to the UK to gain a better quality of education and better prospects in life.

It would b to the detriment of this country to limit or stop foreign nationals from studying science related degrees. I think they should first of all look at the state of the science and engineering in this country before thay make any hasty decisions.

This made me think. I work in a lab in Norway with two people who were political refugees from Iran many years back. They're great scientists and are grateful to have a safe home for themselves and their families. I understand that there's a need to be more cautious (ie - stop applying our expertise to directly train the terrorists of tomorow, that was clever), but it's sad to think of what how many worthwhile people we'll exclude in the process.