Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young has slammed Australia's "shadowy process" of rejecting asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, as Australian authorities sent back another batch of 20 failed asylum seekers to the island.
The return brings the total number of asylum seekers sent to Sri Lanka to 936, with 756 having been involuntary.
Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor commented on the returns stating that "none of them raised issues that engaged Australia's international obligations".
He went on to slam the Austraslian opposition's resistance to a controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Malaysia, a plan that has been criticsed roundly from human rights groups. O'Connor boasted,
"We have sent more people back in this manner than the entire period of the Howard government. This is the most effective means by which we can do that,"
"We could return more, and deter people getting on these vessels, if Tony Abbott would put the national interest ahead of his own interest."
See our editorial: Asylum policies are extensions of Sri Lanka’s repression (16 January 2013)