The United Nations refugee agency, Wednesday, warned that Australia may have breached an international refugee convention by returning a group of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka after intercepting their boat at sea, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
The United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, warned that Australia’s ‘enhanced screening’ of the refugees before handing them back to Sri Lanka fell short of the requirements for a fair screening process, which could result in the asylum seekers facing persecution when back in Sri Lanka.
"You can only ensure respect for the principle of non-refoulement if you have in place proper and fair procedures that identify, with due process, who is in need of international refugee protection and who is not," said Volker Turk.
Turk went on to express concern on the plight of a further 153 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, who remain on board an Australian customs vessel.
"When one looks at some of the trends that we have seen in Australia over the years – not just by this government, but also by the previous ones – it gives cause for concern on a number of fronts. Quite frankly, when one looks at what's happening with those two boats . . . it does give rise to concerns whether this is in line with international law and standards," he added.
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