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SL navy official confirms asylum seekers to be handed back

10:17 BST

153 Tamil asylum seekers on a boat off Christmas island will be handed over to the Sri Lankan navy, a second senior navy official confirmed to The Australian on Wednesday.

Reports emerged on Tuesday that such a transfer in the mid-ocean was imminent, however, till now both the Australian government and the Sri Lankan navy have refused to acknowledge even the very presence of such a boat.

The transfer of the asylum seekers has been widely condemned with many rights organisations warning that Australia would be in breach of the UN Convention on Refugees if it were to proceed with such a move.

Speaking to ABC radio, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to comment on whether the reports were true, saying "I'm not going to comment on the operational detail of what happens on the water."

Greens senator and immigration spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young called the reports “extremely concerning” and added,

“The Australian government has a responsibility to assess these people’s claims for protection, not hand them over to the very authorities they are fleeing.”

“The minister must put an end to the rumours and tell the Australian people what is really going on… There are children on board these boats, we must ensure their safety and offer them protection.”

The Director of the Human Rights Legal centre Daniel Webb commented on the Australian government’s silence on the issue, saying,

"There are serious questions about whether our government is complying with domestic and international laws. The answers to those questions depend on the facts but our government won’t give us any.”

His statement was reiterated by the Refugee Council’s chief executive, Paul Power who said,

“As a Refugee 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,”

Noting that Tamils face “persecution or worse” if they were to be returned to Sri Lanka, Power said,

“Forcing people seeking refugee protection back to their country of origin without properly investigating their claims is the most flagrant of all breaches of the Refugee Convention and international law.

“For asylum seekers, this is a matter of life and death, particularly in Sri Lanka which has a long history of political violence on a scale unimaginable to Australians.”

Related articles:

Australia silent on fate of asylum seeker boat (30 Jun 2014)

Concern grows for 153 Tamil asylum seekers at sea (29 Jun 2014)

Australia denies asylum seeker boat in trouble (28 Jun 2014)

ATC calls on Australian government to ensure safety of stranded refugees (28 Jun 2014)

Tamil asylum seekers stranded in Australian waters, Abbott deflects questions (27 Jun 2014)

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