Australia: Sri Lankan asylum seekers sent home from Christmas Island.

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SRI LANKAN male asylum seekers have been sent home after refusing to be transferred to the offshore processing centre on Nauru, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said today.

Mr Bowen says the 18 Sri Lankans left Christmas Island for Colombo today after asking to be sent home instead of being sent to the Pacific island for the processing of their claims as asylum seekers.

The first group to be sent for offshore processing since new asylum seeker laws were enacted were transferred from Christmas Island to Nauru on September 14.

Australia has reopened the processing centre at Nauru and is soon to reopen Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island as part of the federal government’s policy to stem the number of boat arrivals.

Mr Bowen also said the government would introduce a recommendation from the Houston independent panel to bar people arriving by boat from sponsoring family under the Special Humanitarian Program.

The Houston report on asylum seeker policy, handed to the government on August 13, recommended 22 key measures to stem the boat arrivals to Australia.

Mr Bowen said the plane carrying the 18 men left Christmas Island at 0815 (11.15am AEST) today bound for the Sri Lankan capital.

He said 16 of the 18 men arrived in Australia after August 13, when the government announced its new border protection policies.

“They have asked not be transferred to Nauru, but instead to be returned to their homeland of Sri Lanka,” Mr Bowen told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

“That has been arranged and facilitated.”
The minister said the changes to the concessions under the special humanitarian program would ensure family reunions occurred only through the normal channels.

“There will be no special concessions,” Mr Bowen said.

“Up until now it had been possible for people who arrive in Australia by boat to sponsor family members and not to show that the other requirements under the special humanitarian program were met.”

Mr Bowen said the government had also accepted the recommendation to increase the numbers of people accepted under the family reunion program by 4000.

He rejected claims by the Australian Greens that mental health support for asylum seekers at Australia’s two offshore processing centres was insufficient.

“We do know there is an alarming lack of mental health services that will be provided to refugees on both Nauru and on Manus Island,” Greens immigrations spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC Radio today.

Mr Bowen said the Greens were “wrong” and they did not understand the counselling services available.

“The counselling services that are available on Nauru consist of a minimum of two counsellors and two medically trained professionals regardless of the numbers on Nauru at any particular time,” Mr Bowen said.

Earlier today, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the latest boat arrival shows the federal government cannot manage the nation’s borders.

Mr Abbott’s comments come after Australian authorities intercepted an asylum seeker boat carrying 17 people heading for Christmas Island.

It was the 144th boat intercepted in Australian waters this year.

“This is a government that plainly has lost control of Australia’s borders,” Mr Abbott told reporters in Brisbane today.

Mr Abbott said Labor had brought back offshore processing of asylum seekers at Nauru but the measure would not succeed as a deterrent to people smugglers.

He said the government had to also reintroduce temporary protection visas and the option of turning boats back where safe to do so.

“Unless the government is prepared to do this, I fear the boats will just keep coming in ever increasing numbers,” he said.

Mr Abbott said everyone who came to Australia should be appropriately treated, but a strong message had to be sent to people smugglers.

“We won’t stop the boats if we don’t make it crystal clear that there is no red carpet treatment for people arriving illegally in Australia,” he said.

Under domestic and international law, it is legal for people to seek asylum in Australia.

The boat intercepted was the 41st since the federal government announced its offshore processing policy on August 13.

The 41 boats carried a total of 2324 people.

HMAS Larrakia intercepted the latest vessel west of Christmas Island yesterday.

The passengers will be taken to Christmas Island for security, health and identity checks.

Under the government’s new offshore processing regime, they could be sent to Nauru or Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.

 

ref: http://www.news.com.au

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