Lankan asylum seekers in limbo as Australia stands tough
Australia’s Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison says that the 157 asylum seekers who were held on a Customs ship for almost a month are economic migrants and do not face persecution if they are sent back to India.
The minister’s claims come before the 157 being processed by authorities. The asylum seekers began arriving on mainland Australia on Monday, after more than a month at sea.
The asylum seekers, including 37 children, have been transferred to Western Australia’s Curtin Immigration Detention Centre.
Indian consular officials will be at the detention centre to help determine identity and residency, but Morrison says asylum claims for the group will not be processed. Morrison did not say what would happen to the asylum seekers if they were not accepted by India.
Speaking to ABC Radio, the minister stressed they will not be resettled in Australia and has released little information about the group.
Australian Immigration Minister, Scott Morison expressed following views:
“These people have come from the safe country of India. They haven’t come from Sri Lanka, they haven’t come from any of those other countries, Afghanistan or anything like that. They have come from India, and as a result, where they are safe in India, a passage to Australia here is nothing more than an economic migration seeking to illegally enter Australia.”
According to Australian media reports India’s High Commissioner to Australia Biren Nanda says India has not been officially asked yet to interview the 157 asylum seekers at Curtin, although he says staff are ready.
He says India will take back any of the asylum seekers who are Indian nationals.
Human rights lawyers argue the group are now in Australia and should be offered the full protection of Australian law.
Australian media also reported that a full bench high court hearing next week to determine the fate of the asylum seekers will no longer go ahead, and lawyers acting for the asylum seekers flagged the possibility of a claim of false imprisonment against the government.
High Court justice Kenneth Hayne recalled the matter for a special hearing on Monday.
The agreed high court case was predicated on a legal challenge to the detention of the asylum seekers at sea, but Hayne said the case had been “overtaken by events”.
Hayne vacated the original case today, and asked the parties to amend their pleadings, as the case was no longer an urgent appeal. No date has been set for a subsequent hearing.
Meanwhile, Indian Media reported that Indian police have arrested two people whose boat was used to ferry the asylum seekers.
The arrest comes after India accepted the Australian government’s request to probe the trafficking of 157 asylum seekers from India.
The arrest was made based on information provided by the Australian Immigration and customs officials about the said boat.
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