Tamil asylum seekers handed over to Sri

Lankan navy, according to reports

Scott Morrison will not confirm claims a boat of asylum seekers is in trouble off the coast of Christmas Island. hoto! "ndrew
Meares
Sarah Whyte-July 1, 2014
The "ustralian government is refusing to comment on reports circulating
on Christmas Island that #$% Tamil asylum seekers have been handed over to the Sri Lankan navy.
The asylum seekers, who have not communicated with civilians since Saturday morning, were
on a boat allegedly intercepted by the Australian navy near Christmas Island, president of the
Shire of Christmas Island Gordon Thomson said. They were then handed over to Sri anka!s
military.
"efugee advocates lost contact with the boat on Saturday morning, sparking fears the phone on
board had been confiscated.
A spokesman for Immigration #inister Scott #orrison said the government!s policy was that it
did not confirm nor otherwise comment on reports of on$water activities in relation to
%peration Sovereign &orders.
&ut human rights lawyers have been desperately trying to contact the asylum seekers, saying it
is profoundly concerning that the plight of these people remains in a shroud of secrecy.
'airfa( #edia understands a group of lawyers have obtained four names and the dates of birth
of passengers believed to be on the vessel, which had spent two weeks travelling from India.
The e(istence of a second vessel carrying )* asylum seekers has not been confirmed, but
'airfa( #edia understands it too may have departed from somewhere other than Indonesia.
+uman rights lawyer ,avid #anne said Australians had the right to know whether the Abbott
government was upholding its international obligations in providing protection to people
needing protection.
-These people appear to be unable to access basic information about their rights and we don!t
know where they are,!! #r #anne, the e(ecutive director of the "efugee and Immigration
egal Centre, said.
-They can!t get in contact with anyone and critical .uestions about their fate continue to be
raised and remain unanswered.!!
,irector of the +uman "ights egal centre ,aniel /ebb agreed, saying that a government
confident its actions were lawful and decent shouldn!t go to such e(traordinary lengths to
prevent scrutiny.
-There are serious .uestions about whether our government is complying with domestic and
international laws. The answers to those .uestions depend on the facts but our government
won!t give us any,!! #r /ebb said.
%n Tuesday, #r #orrison would not take .uestions from reporters in Canberra after he gave a
pep talk to Customs officers, congratulating them on the -difficult!! 0ob they perform.
-/e know the work we ask you to do is difficult, the decisions we ask you to take in the
conte(t of the policies can be hard but the border protection command has never flinched,!! he
told Customs officers.
1rime #inister Tony Abbott also refused to answer .uestions about the possible return of the
Tamil asylum seekers to Sri anka, only repeating that the government was -stopping the
boats!!.
-I!m not going to comment on the operational details of what happens on the water but
obviously we have been successful up till now,!! he told A&C radio.
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah +anson$2oung said the government should be doing
everything to offer protection to these people.
-I am e(tremely concerned about the children who were on this boat, the minister must confirm
what is happening to these children,- she said.
-/e shouldn!t be deporting these people, we should be assessing their claims here in
Australia.-
Do you know more? Email swhyte@fairfaxmedia.om.au
!endin" asylum seekers to !ri #anka $risks
fla"rant %iolation of on%ention$
&efugee groups sound alarm over fate of Tamil asylum seekers on board a boat heading to
"ustralia, amid information blackout
Christmas Island, possible intended destination of the asylum seekers.
Tuesday 3 4uly 5*36
Australia would 7flagrantly8 violate the refugee convention if 3)9 Tamil asylum seekers on
board a boat headed to Australia were sent to Sri anka without being allowed to lodge a claim
for protection, the "efugee Council of Australia has warned.
The Christmas Island shire president, Gordon Thomson, told Guardian Australia on Tuesday
there were unconfirmed reports on the island that those on board the boat had been handed over
to the Sri ankan navy.
Thomson said it was clear that those on board had not yet been brought ashore and there was
no sign of the boat.
The Sri ankan high commissioner in Canberra, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, told Guardian
Australia on Tuesday evening he had not been informed by the Australian government of the
boat:s e(istence and he was in no position to comment without knowing the facts, but was
unaware of any reports of the Sri ankan navy being engaged.
+e said the Sri ankan government continued to support Australia:s border policy -because we
don:t want people dying at sea and we want to stop people$smuggling-.
Australia and Sri anka en0oy close diplomatic relations, which allow for the the involuntarily
return of any asylum seeker from Sri anka with a failed claim.
The office of the immigration minister, Scott #orrison, declined to comment on whether a
handover had occurred.
#orrison has given no detail on the boat!s whereabouts and refused even to confirm its
e(istence since refugee advocates revealed last 'riday it was heading to Australia from Tamil
;adu in southern India.
Sri ankan asylum seekers are sub0ect to the -enhanced screening process- in Australia, which
has been condemned by the <;+C" as an 7unfair and unreliable8 process for determining
refugee claims as it involves short interviews, often without the presence of a lawyer.
In %ctober, #orrison said he was 7completely comfortable about the process8, adding= 7If
you:re coming here to try something on to get access to Australia from Sri anka, you:ll go
straight back.8
The "efugee Council!s chief e(ecutive, 1aul 1ower, said Australia would potentially be
sending asylum seekers back to 7persecution or worse8 if the Tamils on board were returned to
Sri anka.
7As a "efugee Convention signatory, Australia has a clear obligation not to send asylum
seekers back to danger without giving them a chance to put their case for refugee protection,8
he said in a statement. 7'orcing people seeking refugee protection back to their country of
origin without properly investigating their claims is the most flagrant of all breaches of the
"efugee Convention and international law.
7'or asylum seekers, this is a matter of life and death, particularly in Sri anka which has a
long history of political violence on a scale unimaginable to Australians.8
Ian "intoul of the "efugee Action Coalition, who had been in regular contact with those on the
boat until communication was lost on Saturday, said there were 9> children on board, some as
young as a year old.
It is unclear what citi?enship these children would have if born in India, the boat!s point of
departure. India is not a signatory to the refugee convention.
Greens senator Sarah +anson$2oung said the unconfirmed reports that those on board had been
handed to the Sri ankan navy were 7e(tremely concerning8.
7The Australian government has a responsibility to assess these people!s claims for protection,
not hand them over to the very authorities they are fleeing,8 +anson$2oung said.
7The minister must put an end to the rumours and tell the Australian people what is really going
on.
7There are children on board these boats, we must ensure their safety and offer them protection.